Jen  Dollars  Enough^ 

KeePING  House  V€LL 

ON  T€N   DOLLARS    7C    WG  €  K 
HOW  IT  HT^S  SeeN    DON  6 

HOW  IT  MAY  B6  DONe  KQTifN 


CATHERINE      OWEN 


^' 


,.■9      > 


<.     v 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH 

KEEPING  HOUSE  WELL  ON  TEN  DOLLARS 

A  WEEK;  HOW  IT  HAS  BEEN  DONE; 

HOW  IT  MAY  BE  DONE  AGAIN 


BY 


A 


CATHERINE  OWEN   , 

•^^•N  COLLEGE  L.SRARY 
CHESTNUT  HILL.  MASS. 


BOSTON  AND   NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

1887 


sinr 


Copyright,  1886, 
Bt  HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO. 

All  rights  reserved. 


THIRD   EDITION. 


jHie  Ixh'ersirte  Press,  Cambridge: 
Electrotyped  and  Priuted  by  il.  O.  Uoughton  &  Co. 


PREFACE. 


The  success  of  "  Ten  .Dollars  Enough,"  as  it  appeared 
serially  in  the  pages  of  "  Good  Housekeeping,"  and  the 
numerous  letters  received  by  the  editor  of  that  magazine 
asking  for  it  in  more  convenient  shape,  has  led  to  its 
publication  in  its  present  form. 

It  is  very  pleasant  to  learn  from  these  sarue  letters 
that  the  writers  have  tried  Molly's  recipes  with  such 
success,  there  being,  I  am  assured  by  the  same  gentle- 
man, but  two  exceptions  (and  one  of  these  candidly  says 
the  fault  might  be  her  own)  among  the  large  number 
who  expressed  satisfaction. 

This  testimony  is  especially  gratifying,  showing,  as  it 
does,  how  earnest  and  faithful  my  readers  have  been; 
for,  although  the  directions  were  minutely  given  and 
every  effort  made  to  meet  difficulties,  all  my  care  would 
not  have  sufficed  to  produce  success,  had  there  not  been 
faithful  cooperation  on  the  part  of  those  who  followed 
them.  I  take  this  opportunity  to  make  clear  two  mat- 
ters which,  I  found  early  in  the  course  of  the  story,  were 
lost  sight  of  by  two  or  three  readers,  perhaps  others. 

I  allude  to  the  prices  of  provisions  and  the  amount  of 
cooking  accomplished  in  a  given  time. 

To  those  who  questioned  the  cost  of  articles  I  would 
say  :  they  forgot,  reading  in  December,  when  they  were 
doubtless  paying  higher  prices,  that  the  prices  quoted 
were  for  September,     To  another  who  quotes  the  high 


iv  PREFACE. 

price  she  has  to  pay  for  certain  things,  I  only  say : 
Molly  was  keeping  house  with  some  luxury,  on  the 
same  amount  of  table-money  as  many  require  to  live 
very  plainly.  This  could  not  be  done  except  by  buying 
everything  only  in  its  season  ;  if  beyond  a  certain  price, 
she  waited  for  it  to  get  lower. 

This  brings  me  to  what  is  after  all  the  gist  of  the 
matter.  "  Ten  Dollars  Enough  "  was  intended  for  read- 
ers in  widely  different  parts  of  the  country.  It  would 
have  readers  where  the  meat  and  poultry  prices  would 
seem  very  high,  and  the  groceries  equally  low.  I  there- 
fore decided  to  take  average  New  York  retail  prices 
and  not  to  go  below  them. 

There  may  be  cities  and  suburbs  where  the  prices  are 
higher  than  in  New  York,  but  in  my  experience  these 
are  few  compared  with  the  many  where  they  are  lower. 

As  to  the  question  of  time,  Molly  is  not  represented 
as  an  inexperienced  young  wife,  but  as  a  graduate  of 
cooking-schools,  who  could  herself  have  joined  the 
corps  of  culinary  teachers  had  it  been  necessary. 

Her  expertness  had  not  come  without  many  failures, 
and  the  readers  of  "  Ten  Dollars  Enough "  were  in- 
vited to  profit  by  the  finished  result  of  her  failures  and 
experiments.  Because  she  had  often  failed  before  she 
succeeded,  she  was  able  to  avert  failure  from  Marta  or 
others. 

Bearing  in  mind,  then,  that  Molly  knew  precisely 
what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that 
her  most  elaborate  dinner  was  very  simple  indeed,  com- 
pared with  the  menu  prepared  by  one  lady  and  her  as- 
sistant at  any  first-rate  cooking  demonstration,  in  the 
same  space  of  time. 

Catherine  Owen. 


CONTENTS. 


■♦■ 


CHAPTER  I. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop  try  the  Experiment 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
At  Home 7 

CHAPTER  III. 
MoUy's  Fu>st  BiU  of  Fare 19 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Bread-Making-  —  Breakfast  —  Baked  Potatoes  —  Com  Muf- 
fins —  Breaded  Chops  —  How  to  fry 30 

CHAPTER   V. 

How  to  manage  the  Fat  that  has  been  used  for  frying  —  Cup 
Cake 37 

CHAPTER  VI. 
What  "Simmering"  means 40 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Molly  and  Mrs.  Lennox  —  Economical  Bujring  makes  Good 
Living 52 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Beef  Pot-Pie  —  Leg  of   Mutton  —  Two  Roasts  —  Several 
Wholesome  Economical  Dishes 58 


Vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Veal  Cutlets,  Breaded 63 

CHAPTER   X. 
Details  of  Molly's  Management — Recipes TO 

CHAPTER  XI. 
What  to  do  with  a  Soup-Bone 79 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Molly  and  Mrs.  Lennox  on  the  Ruffle  Question  —  Fricassee  of 
Mutton  —  Cabbage  again 86 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Preparing  to  save  Work  —  Brown  Thickening  —  White  Thick- 
ening —  Caramel 93 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Marketing  —  Apple  Pudding  —  Liver  and  Bacon  —  Braised 
Beef  —  Boiling  Puddings 95 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Rolls  —  Baked  Liver  —  Croquettes  —  What  was  the  Matter 
with  them  —  Hotch-Potch 100 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Rye  Bread  —  Oyster  Patties  —  Knuckle  of  Veal,  a  la  Maitre 
d'Hotel  —  A  Savory  Dish 106 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop  become  Members  of  a  Dramatic  Club  — 
Croquettes  over  again  —  Wliere  the  Mistake  lay  —  White 
Soup Ill 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Broiled  Lamb's  Kidneys — Mrs.  Lennox  startled  —  Corn- 
Beef  Hash    117 


ft 

CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Summary  —  Lamb's   Heart  —  Flounders  —  Corned  Beef  — 
Cannelon  of  Beef 124 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Preparing  a  Chicken  —  Giblets  —  Spoilt  Bread 130 

CHAPTER   XXI. 
To  make  a  Fowl  Tender  as  Spring  Chicken 136 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Dollars  and  Cents 138 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Chiefly  Social  —  Mrs.  Framley's  Opiiuons  .......  145 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A  very  Plain  Pudding  —  How  to  cook  Odds  and  Ends  —  Bills 
of  Fare  for  a  Week 149 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Marta's  Noodles  —  Braised  Beef  —  How  to  adapt  one's  Mate- 
rials —  Polka  Pudding  and  Sauce 154 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Fried  Potatoes  —  Polka  Sauce  —  Clearing  Gravy  of  Fat  —  A 
Variety  of  Cakes  from  One  Recipe 161 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Candied  Lemon-Peel  —  To  whip  Cream  Solid  —  Iced  Cream 
Coffee  —  Madeleine  Cake  —  Potato  Balls 166 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Fricasseed  Chicken  —  Lemon  Honey — French  Icing  to  keep    172 


viii  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Boiled  Custard  —  Frozen  Bananas  —  Uses  of  French  Icing  — 
Scalloped  Potatoes  —  Hollandaise  Sauce  —  Roast  Oysters  — 
Unexpected  Visitors 176 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Hominy  Muffins  —  Fish  Balls  —  Royal  Custard  —  "  Consom- 
me a  la  Royale  " — Fricassee  Sweetbreads  —  Vanilla 
Souffle 189 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A  Surprise  —  A  Boiled  Dinner  —  Dresden  Patties  —  Oysters 
and  Brown  Butter—  "  Old  English  "  Fritters 196 

CHAPTER  XXXn. 
Veal  and  Ham  Pie  —  Beefsteak  Pudding  —  Trifle   ....  205 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Town  versus  Country  —  The  Servant  Question 214 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Ox-Tail  Soup  —  Grisini  —  Stewed  Lamb  and  Peas  —  Me- 
ringues with  Cream 219 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Macaroons  —  Jumbles  —  Genoese  Tablettes  —  Irish  Stew  .     .  225 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

To  boil  and  prepare  Lobsters  —  Sandwiches  —  Clearing  Soup 

—  Omelet  Souffle 234 

CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

GSteau  de  Riz  —  French  Rice  Cake  —  Preparing  Calf's  Head 

—  Mock-Turtle  Soup  —  More  Noodles  —  Pigeon  Pie      .     .  241 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

One  More  Use  for  Soup  Meat  —  Stewed  Calf's  Tongue  — 
Brains,  au  Beurre  Noir  (Brown  Butter)  — Calf's  Head  — 
Hollandaise  Sauce  —  Calf's  Head  en  Tortue 248 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER   XXXIX. 
Ideas  and  Suggestions  on  several  Subjects 252 

CHAPTER  XL. 

English   Muffins    and    Crumpets  —  Pickling    and    curing  — 
Roast  Beef -Heart  —  Soused  Mackerel     ...         ...  259 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
The  Baby  — Conclusion 269 


TEI^  DOLLAES  ENOUGH. 


CHAPTER   I. 

MR.    AND    MRS.    BISHOP    TRY    THE    EXPERIMENT. 

"  Beef  steak,  cod  steak,  mutton  chop,  and  hash  !  " 

This  bill  of  fare,  glibly  rattled  off  by  a  neat  waitress, 
promised  a  very  satisfying  breakfast,  supplemented  as  it 
was  by  abundant  cream-of-tartar  biscuit  and  potatoes. 
Yet  Mrs.  Bishop  thought  this  morning,  as  she  had  done 
for  three  hundred  out  of  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
mornings  she  had  heard  it,  she  would  gladly  have 
exchanged  all  for  a  cup  of  really  fine  coffee,  a  fresh 
egg,  and  some  good  home-made  bread  and  butter.  Need- 
less to  say,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop  were  boarding,  and  do- 
ing so  at  a  very  good  house,  for  the  money  they  were 
able  to  pay,  —  $20  per  week  for  the  two.  Yet  to  this 
couple,  reared  with  luxury  and  refinement,  the  very 
abundance  was  nauseatinij. 

"  You  ate  no  breakfast  again.  Puss.  What  am  I  to  do 
with  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  shall  do  very  well.  I  am  sure  one  has  nothing 
to  complain  of,  and  if  Mrs.  Jones  were  to  cater  to  our 
tastes  she  would  not  satisfy  her  other  boarders." 

"Yes, there  is  a  coarse  substantial  abundance  about  it, 
that  always  strikes  me  with  wonder  as  to  how  it  is  done 
for  the  money  "  — 

"And  yet,  Harry,  wouldn't  you  enjoy  a  nice  little 
breakfast  for  our  two  selves  ?  Oh,  if  we  could  only  keep 
hQuse ! " 

"  My  darling,  I  wish  to  keep  house  just  as  much  as 


2  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

you  do,  but  with  my  income  such  housekeeping  would 
be  very  different  from  what  you  think.  You  would  liave 
to  limit  the  clean  table-cloths  and  napkins,  and  stint 
yourself  in  everything,  to  make  both  ends  meet." 

"  I  wish  I  could  convince  you,  Harry,  that  it  need 
not  be  so.  You  don't  know  what  a  good  manager  I 
should  be." 

"  Dear  little  woman,  I  could  n't  have  you  make  a 
drudge  of  yourself,  and  believe  me,  you  don't  realize  the 
difference  between  practice  and  theory.  I  know  several 
men  who  have  good,  self-denying  wives,  and  just  my  in- 
come, but  I  could  not  look  forward  to  the  narrowness  of 
such  houses  as  theirs,  nor  wish  to  see  you  in  one.  While 
we  are  boarding  we  can't  pretend  to  have  a  home;  there 
is  no  temptation  to  ask  a  friend  to  a  meal,  no  shame  if 
one  comes  and  it  is  n't  good." 

Mrs.  Bishop  turned  a  smiling  face  on  her  husband. 

"  That  is  the  secret,  Harry.  You  are  afraid  of  being 
ashamed  of  my  housekeeping.  Shall  I  promise  you 
that  you  shall  never  dread  to  bring  a  friend  home  for 
fear  of  a  soiled  table-cloth,  and  a  too  economical  din- 
ner? I  assure  you  I  haven't  been  to  cooking-schools  for 
nothing." 

"  You  dear  enthusiast !  If  it  were  not  for  your  own 
sake  I  'd  let  you  try." 

Mrs.  Bishop  executed  a  little  dance  of  joy. 

"  Oh,  Harry,  you  can't  go  back  on  that,  you  must  n't ! 
Do  let  us  go  through  this  winter  in  our  own  house." 

Mr.  Bishop  only  said,  taking  out  his  watch  — 

*'  By  Jove !  I  have  only  time  to  catch  the  car.  Good- 
bye, dear."  Pressing  a  hearty  kiss  on  her  soft  cheek, 
he  rushed  down  the  stairs  and  out  of  the  house. 

There  was  quite  a  little  romance  about  this  young 
couple,  which  I  will  relate  here,  that  those  who  may 
follow  the  young  wife's  trials  and  triumphs  may  under- 
stand some  that  she  had  to  fear.  Harry  Bishop  was  the 
son  of  a  prosperous  merchant,  who,  as  is  the  fashion  in 
this  America  of  ours,  lived  almost  like  a  prince  on  the 
profits  of  bis  business,  but,  as  his  family  was  large,  and 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  8 

his  wife  ambitious  and  extravagant,  it  was  not  very  cer- 
tain that  he  would  be  able  to  provide  a  fortune  for  each 
of  his  children.  For  this  reason  he  and  Mrs.  Bishop 
were  anxious  that  those  children  should  marry  money. 

When  Harry  declared  his  intention  of  marrying,  in- 
stead of  the  rich  Miss  Vanderpool  his  mother  had  looked 
out  for  him,  pretty,  penniless  Molly  Marsh,  the  anger 
and  disappointment  at  home  had  been  very  great,  and  al- 
though it  is  not  the  fashion  in  this  country  to  cast  off  the 
sons  and  daughters  who  make  rash  marriages,  they  did 
the  next  thing  to  it,  —  they  disapproved  so  strongly  that 
Molly  rarely  visited  the  grand  home  Harry  had  given  up 
to  marry  her,  and  Harry's  father  in  his  anger  had  said  : 

"  Do  you  remember,  sir,  that  your  paltry  salary  would 
n't  pay  the  rent  of  a  house  in  a  decent  location  ?  and 
you  propose  to  keep  a  wife  on  it !  One  thing  you  may 
be  sure,  ^as  you  make  your  bed  so  you  must  lie,'  and 
when  you  have  a  mass  of  unpaid  bills,  you  must  n't  look 
to  me  to  pay  'em." 

"  I  never  will,  sir.  I  am  sorry  for  Molly's  sake  you 
take  it  like  this,  but  I  hope  in  time  you  will  see  that 
I  am  right  to  choose  happiness  instead  of  riches." 

And  then  Harry's  mother  had  pictured  the  sordid 
home  kept  on  SlOO  a  month,  and  derisively  asked  if  he 
supposed  he  would  be  happy  after  the  honeymoon  was 
over,  eating  common  coarse  food  in  a  shabby  little  din- 
ing-room. 

"  The  idea  of  it  I  You  are  the  last  person,  Harry,  to 
content  yourself  in  that  way.  Why,  you  criticise  even 
my  cook  ;  how  will  you  do  with  no  cook  at  all  ? " 

"  I  should  n't  criticise,  dear  mother,  if  you  did  the 
cookincr." 

They  had  been  married  a  year  now,  and  Molly  and 
Harry  paid  rare  visits  to  his  father's  house,  and  she, 
poor  young  wife,  was  made  to  feel  how  much  her  hus- 
band had  sacrificed  for  her,  and  she  knew,  good  as  Harry 
was,  he  would  be  rather  exacting  in  his  own  home ; 
that,  though  for  love  of  her  he  might  not  express  him- 
self, small  deficiencies  would  jar  on  him,  and  that  in  be* 


4  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

ginning  to  keep  house  she  would  be  undertaking  a  great 
deal. 

"  But  that  will  be  my  share.  If  by  devoting  time 
to  my  housekeeping,  I  can  make  Harry's  money  go  half 
as  far  again  as  it  would  otherwise  do,  I  shall  do  as  much 
as  if  I  earned  half  as  much  as  he." 

And  so  during  that  year  of  boarding  and  leisure, 
Molly  had  attended  cooking-classes,  with  a  married 
friend,  and  had  gone  home  with  her  and  they  had  prac- 
ticed together.  She  had  read,  too,  everything  she  could 
find  about  housekeeping,  and  Harry  laughed,  sometimes, 
till  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks  at  what  he  called  her 
"  paper  housekeeping." 

Yet  her  pictures  of  that  ideal  home  they  were  to 
have  were  very  alluring  to  him  too,  and  this  particular 
morning,  when  their  boarding-house  life  had  lasted  just 
one  year,  her  woids  had  taken  deeper  hold  than  ever 
before.  That  evening  he  returned  with  a  very  mysteri- 
ous look  on  his  face. 

"  AVhat  is  the  matter,  Harry  ?  "  asked  Molly,  merrily. 
**  What  plot  are  you  brewing  ?  " 

"  How  would  you  like  to  pass  a  winter  in  the  coun- 
try?" 

"  I  should  n't  mind.     Why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

*'  Because  we  can  put  your  longed-for  experiment  to 
the  test.  John  Winfield  is  going  to  take  his  wife  to 
Europe  on  the  first  of  September,  and  wants  to  let  his 
cottage  furnished  for  the  bare  rent  he  pays:  $20  per 
month." 

"  Oh,  Harry  !  and  we  will  take  it?  It  is  such  a  cozy 
little  place." 

"  Yes,  dear,  I  think  we  may  venture  on  this  experi- 
ment. If  it  happens  that  we  tire  of  housekeeping  in  a 
few  months,  we  shall  not  be  burdened  with  furniture 
that  we  don't  want,  and  if  you  are  as  happy  as  you  think, 
we  can  take  a  little  house  and  furnish  it." 

Mrs.  Bishop  looked  the  joy  she  felt,  and  all  that 
evening  they  were  discussing  plans  and  prospects. 

Many  of  my  readers  will  wonder,  perhaps,  why  this 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  5 

young  couple  looked  upon  beginning  housekeeping  on 
Harry's  income  as  such  a  tremendous  experiment,  when 
so  many  live  and  bring  up  families  on  much  less.  But 
there  was  no  disguising  the  fact  that  Harry's  bringing- 
up  in  his  father's  luxurious  house  had  made  him  fastidi- 
ous, and  he  shrank  from  the  too  frugal  table  that  he  as- 
sociated with  such  means,  and,  even  more,  the  necessity 
of  foregoing  in  his  own  house  the  refinement  he  had 
been  accustomed  to.  This  lack  being  in  the  house  of 
another  person  irked  him  less. 

Molly's  dread  was  mixed  with  a  trembling  desire  to 
show  her  husband  what  sort  of  a  wife  he  had  married. 

"I  feel  just  a  doll  while  boarding,  with  nothing  to 
think  of  but  my  clothes.  You  don't  know  whether  I  am 
fit  to  be  a  helpmeet  or  not,"  she  had  often  said,  and  he 
had  replied,  "  My  darling,  I  take  it  all  on  faith  ;  you 
are  too  good  for  me,  even  if  you  could  not  sew  on  a  but- 
ton." 

But  Molly's  trembling  did  not  come  from  fear  of  fac- 
ing life  in  a  cottage.  She  knew  herself,  but  she  did 
think  that  Harry  might  grow  to  repent  the  step.  She 
feared  also  the  criticism  of  his  mother,  ever  watchful  for 
a  trip  on  her  part. 

Ah !  what  agony  it  would  be  to  her,  if  her  husband 
should  ever  regret  the  sacrifice  he  had  made  !  But  from 
such  thoughts  as  these,  that  kept  her  awake  far  into  the 
night  while  Harry  slept  soundly  at  her  side,  she  would 
turn  to  a  vision  of  herself  as  a  triumphant  little  matron. 

"  I  cannot  fail  I  My  time  and  ingenuity  will  certainly 
supply  the  deficiency  of  money." 

Molly  had  kept  house  for  an  invalid  mother,  who,  for 
economy's  sake,  had  lived  in  a  small  French  town,  and 
after  her  mother's  death  she  had  found  herself  forced  to 
earn  her  living  as  governess,  for  her  mother's  income 
died  with  her. 

Thus,  although  she  had  often  told  Harry  she  could 
keep  house,  he  had  smiled,  pinched  her  cheek,  and  told 
her  she  did  not  realize  the  difference  between  keeping 
house  in  France  and  doing  so  in  America,  with  a  newly 


6  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

imported  Bridget  for  aide  de  cuisine,  and  as  Molly 
did  not  like  to  boast,  she  had '  to  let  him  keep  his  own 
opinion.  But  oh,  how  she  longed  to  show  him  what  un- 
known resources  lay  within  her  !  And  now  the  chance 
was  hers. 

After  the  first  joyful  hour,  she  behaved  very  soberly. 
She  would  take  as  a  matter  of  course  all  Harry's  mis- 
givings as  to  the  commissariat  department,  for  I  am 
sorry  to  say  Harry  Bishop,  although  a  Harvard  gradu- 
ate, and  a  fairly  intellectual  young  man,  did  think  a 
great  deal  of  the  enjoyment  of  life  consisted  in  a  good 
table,  by  which  he  meant  not  good  food  only,  but  good 
cooking  and  dainty  service,  and  how  they  were  to  have 
this  on  $100  per  month  he  could  not  see,  unless  his  in- 
come were  all  spent  for  servants  and  food.  When  he 
told  this  to  Molly  she  said : 

"  No,  I  propose  that  we  keep  house,  and  spend  ex- 
actly what  we  do  for  this  one  room  and  our  board ;  that 
is,  $80  per  month.  It  must  be  divided  in  this  way  :  $20 
for  rent  (we  must  never  go  beyond  that),  $12  for  ser- 
vant, and  $10  a  week  for  housekeeping ;  that  is,  $77  a 
month.  The  three  remaining  dollars,  with  the  four  or 
five  we  now  spend  for  car  fare,  will  buy  your  commuta- 
tion ticket." 

"  $10  a  week  for  housekeeping!  I  am  afraid  you'll 
find  that  will  make  a  poor  show,  little  wife,"  he  said 
caressingly.  "  I  shall  think  we  are  happy  and  fortu- 
nate, if  the  $20  we  now  allow  for  our  clothes  and  out- 
side expenses  will  cover  the  deficit  at  the  end  of  the 
month." 

"  You  '11  see  $10  is  enough.'* 

He  laughed  good-humoredly. 

"  I  guess,  Pussy,  we  shall  both  see  things  grow  *  small 
by  degrees  and  beautifully  less,'  toward  the  end  of  each 
month." 

"  We  '11  hope  not,"  said  Molly  meekly,  for  now  that 
she  hoped  her  hour  of  trial  and  triumph  was  coming, 
Bhe  could  afford  to  let  him  anticipate  evil. 


CHAPTER  11. 

AT   HOME. 

On  the  1st  of  September  our  young  couple  took  pos- 
session of  their  new  house. 

It  was  a  small  house,  or  rather  cottage,  in  the  fashion- 
able New  Jersey  town  of  Greenfield,  and  contained 
a  dining-room,  sittinoj-room  and  kitchen  on  the  first 
floor,  and  four  rooms  above  arranged  as  bed- room, 
guest-room,  servants'  room  and  sewing-room.  It  was  as 
slightly  built  as  a  house  could  be,  probably,  yet  in  better 
taste  than  most  houses  of  its  class,  and  Mrs.  Winfield's 
taste  in  furnishing  was  excellent,  so  that  even  Harry's 
fastidious  eye  was  satisfied. 

As  for  Molly,  she  spent  her  first  hour  in  the  house 
promenading  from  room  to  room,  such  a  luxurious  idea 
of  freedom  and  space  did  that  small  house  ^'i\e  her. 

"Think,  Harry  !  We  can  actually  change  rooms 
when  we  like." 

"  Poor  little  Molly,  I  did  not  know  that  you  had  hated 
boarding  so,  or  I  should  not  have  refused  to  try  this  ex- 
periment long  ago.     I  did  it  for  your  sake." 

"  Never  mind,  we  '11  have  such  a  good  time  now,  that 
we  won't  think  of  anything  else." 

"  What  time  is  your  Gretchen  to  arrive  ?  " 

"  Not  Gretchen,  but  Marta.  She  came  an  hour  ago, 
while  you  were  seeing  to  the  baggage,  and  is  busy  down 
stairs,  where  I  must  go  to  her  if  we  are  to  have  any 
lunch,  while  you  put  your  books  in  order." 

"  Oh,  lunch !  Never  mind  lunch  to-day,  bread  and 
cheese  will  do  "  — 

"  Oh,  no  !  ".  said  Molly,  shaking  her  head  and  laugh- 
ing, "  I've  brought  you  from  the  land  of  abundance  ;  I 
must  take  care  that  you  are  not  made  to  suffer  the  first 
day." 


8  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Marta,  Molly's  servant,  was  a  newly  arrived  German 
girl  whom  she  had  had  the  courage  to  take  from  Castle 
Garden. 

"  She  will  be  as  green  as  grass,  Molly,  "  Harry  had 
said. 

"Yes,  I  know,  but  at  least  it  is  better  she  should 
know  nothing  than  know  how  to  do  things  badly  ;  it  is 
easier  to  teach  than  to  unteach." 

"  All  right,  my  dear,  we  will  go  to  Castle  Garden, 
then,  and  interview  a  new  arrival  from  Germany." 

They  did  so,  and  found  a  thick,  short,  strong,  but  stu- 
pid-looking girl  was  the  only  one  whom  it  seemed  pos- 
sible to  take  into  the  house.  Molly  was  a  little  crest- 
fallen, so  far  did  Marta  seem  from  what  she  had  hoped 
to  meet  with.     Yet  she  asked  only  $10  per  month. 

"  That  is  $2.00  to  the  good,"  thought  Molly,  "and  by 
promising  her  $12  when  she  can  do  my  work  as  I  wish, 
she  will  have  something  to  work  for.  I  believe  that  is 
where  people  make  a  mistake  in  our  country.  The  in- 
competent girls,  if  they  have  only  impudence  enough  to 
ask  it,  get  as  good  wages  as  the  competent." 

Marta  had  arrived  with  two  very  large  trunks,  each 
of  them  no  doubt  the  Thuringian  equivalent  for  a  Sar- 
atoga, at  which  excess  of  baggage  Molly  had  marveled. 
Molly  had  taken  her  to  her  room,  and  told  her  to  go 
down  when  ready  and  begin  taking  things  out  of  the 
kitchen  closets.  This  she  had  heard  her  doing  when 
Harry  had  asked  when  she  was  to  arrive. 

Molly  found  Marta  attired  in  what  seemed  a  green 
baize  skirt,  very  short ;  worked  zephyr  slippers  with 
thick  soles,  quite  new  and  very  large,  over  gray  knitted 
worsted  stockings,  also  apparently  new.  Over  the  skirt 
she  wore  a  clean  cotton  camisole  or  sacque.  Evidently 
Marta  was  dressed  with  strict  attention  to  her  debut  in 
a  new  place,  and  was  satisfied  that  her  slippers  were  as 
attractive  as  they  were  no  doubt  comfortable. 

Molly  wanted  to  know  exactly  what  was  in  the  kitchen 
closets,  so  that  she  might  see  what  she  had  to  work  with, 
therefore  she  had  set  Marta  to  clean  them  out,  although 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  9 

Mrs.  Winfield  had  left  everything  in  such  excellent  or- 
der that  it  was  not  absolutely  necessary  this  first  day. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock,  and  Molly,  alihough  she  had 
laughed  at  Harry's  anxiety  to  eat  bread  and  cheese,  had 
decided  that  it  would  be  best  to  have  a  luncheon  that 
Would  be  as  little  trouble  as  possible,  yet  one  that  should 
not  seem  at  all  a  makeshift,  so  sensitive  was  she  to 
Harry's  good-natured  criticism. 

She  ordered  in  the  morning  what  she  thought  might 
be  a  month's  supplies  of  groceries,  and  for  the  day's 
use: 

2  heads  of  lettuce, $  .06 

1  melon,         ......  .10 

2  quarts  peaches,  ,         .         .         .         .12 

1  can  of  boned  chicken,         .         .         .  .50 
Forequarter  of  lamb,  8  pounds,         .         .       1.12 

2  pounds  of  butter,     .            ...             .50 
2  dozen  eK2;s, 50 

Total, $2.90 

Milk  had  been  left  at  the  house  by  Mrs.  Winfield's 
man,  and  ice  also,  and  bread  by  the  baker. 

She  intended  to  have  for  lunch  to-day  chicken  salad, 
omelette  and  drop  biscuit  and  coifee,  all  of  which  could, 
she  knew,  be  prepared  in  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  so 
she  helped  Marta  dust  and  replace  the  utensils  in  their 
places,  and  made  notes  of  what  was  lacking  for  her  use, 
although,  as  economy  was  her  object,  she  decided  to  do 
with  as  little  addition  to  what  was  in  the  house  as  pos- 
sible. 

She  called  Marta's  attention  as  they  replaced  each  ar- 
ticle, telling  her  its  English  name,  and  bidding  her  re- 
member its  place  and  keep  it  there. 

Marta  spoke  no  English,  but  Molly  spoke  fair  Ger- 
man, and  she  managed  to  make  her  understand.  As  the 
clock  struck  twelve,  Molly  took  her  into  the  dining-room 
to  lay  the  luncheon  cloth  ;  she  showed  her  how  it  must 
be  done,  that  the  fold  must  be  just  in  the  centre,  the  salt- 
cellars always  neat  and  smooth,  a  soiled  knife  never  put 
on,  and  as  she  went  through  these  necessary  instruc- 


10  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

tions,  the  thought  crossed  her  mind,  how  frivolous  and 
useless  these  little  niceties  must  seem  to  a  girl  to  whom 
perhaps  even  a  table-cloth  had  hitherto  been  an  un- 
known luxury.  What  wonder  that  it  was  in  these 
small  things  so  difficult  to  train  one  ? 

When  the  table  was  ready,  Molly  ran  into  the  little 
garden,  and  gathered  a  few  red  geranium  flowers  and 
their  leaves,  and  arranged  them  in  a  glass  for  the  centre 
of  the  table. 

"This  is  one  of  the  charms  of  the  country;  even  in  a 
tiny  garden  like  this,  one  can  always  have  a  spray  of 
flowers  for  the  table,"  thought  Molly. 

It  was  now  a  quarter  past  twelve,  and  one  thing  that 
Marta  must  be  taught  was  punctuality.  At  one  o'clock 
lunch  was  to  be,  and  as  Molly  would  prepare  it  to-day, 
it  should  not  be  a  minute  behind. 

"  Come,  Marta,  I  want  to  show  you  how  to  make  bis- 
cuit; but  first  we  must  look  to  the  fire." 

Molly  had  made  it  herself  before  Marta  arrived,  and 
knew  it  was  good  and  the  oven  hot,  but  she  wanted  to 
impress  on  her  handmaiden  the  necessity  of  assuring 
herself  that  it  was  good,  before  beginning  to  cook. 

"  I  set  the  damper  this  way,  so  that  the  oven  would 
heat  as  soon  as  the  fiie  is  burning  well,  Marta.  You  see 
it  is  hot,  and  also,"  taking  off  the  stove  lid,  "  that  there  is 
fire  enough  to  last;  always  make  sure  of  that,  so  that 
you  will  not  find  yourself  with  a  poor  fire  in  the  middle 
of  cooking." 

This  Molly  managed  to  convey  by  words  and  actions, 
and  Marta  nodded  comprehension. 

"Now  then,  as  we  are  such  a  small  family,  I  take  a 
pint  of  flour  only,  and  a  scant  dessert-spoonful  of  butter, 
and  rub  it  in  the  flour  this  way,  do  you  see?  until  it  is 
just  like  sand.  Now  I  add  a  salt-spoonful  of  salt,  two 
tea-spoonfuls  of  sugar,  and  a  small  tea-spoonful  of  baking- 
powder  ;  be  very  careful  of  the  proportions,  for  it  is  just 
by  doing  this  that  you  are  suie  never  to  have  days  when 
things  turn  out  wrong ;  they  cannot  do  that,  if  you  are 
exact  and  right. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  11 

"  Now  mix  all  thoroughly,  and  you  see  I  take  this 
scant  half  pint  of  milk  ;  I  make  a  hole  in  the  flour  and 
pour  it  parti}'-  in,  stirring  as  I  do  it,  and  if  I  see  it  needs 
more  in  order  to  keep  it  the  stitfest  kind  of  batter  or 
the  softest  kind  of  dough,  I  add  it ;  it  takes  all  the  half 
pint,  you  see,  but  with  flour  you  can't  be  quite  sure  of 
the  exact  quantity,  and  a  tea-spoonful  too  much  would 
make  it  too  thin.  Now,  you  see,  it  is  so  very  thick  I  can 
hardly  stir  it,  yet  it  is  far  from  being  stiff  enough  to 
knead.     Butter  that  tin  pan  and  give  it  to  me." 

Marta  understood  the  order,  but  began  slowly  to 
spread  butter  from  the  end  of  a  knife.  Molly  took  a 
bit  of  white  paper,  and  taking  the  pan  from  her  quickly, 
for  the  biscuit  had  now  to  be  got  into  the  oven  as  soon 
as  possible,  she  rubbed  a  bit  of  butter  over  it. 

"Too  many  cooks  spoil  the  broth,  Marta.  "If  I  had 
been  working  quite  alone  I  should  have  greased  my  pan 
before  beginning  ;  it  is  very  bad  management  to  leave 
it."  As  she  spoke  she  was  taking  the  paste  on  the  end 
of  her  spoon,  and  dropping  it  in  little  oblong  mounds  on 
the  pan,  about  two  inches  apart.  In  another  minute 
they  were  in  the  oven,  which  was  very  hot. 

"  My  mother  used  to  pride  herself  on  these  biscuits, 
and  gave  herself  fifteen  minutes  to  make  and  bake 
them.     Now  for  the  salad." 

Molly  quickly  opened  the  can  of  chicken  she  had 
bought,  and  cut  the  contents  in  half  ;  one  portion  she 
turned  out  on  a  dish,  and  set  the  other  aside  to  go  into 
the  ice-box.  Then  she  set  Marta  to  open  olives  and  salad 
oil,  while  she  herself  cut  the  chicken  into  small  pieces, 
removing  every  bit  of  skin  that  was  on  it.  When  the 
olives  were  open,  she  took  a  small,  sharp,  knife  and  call- 
ing Marta's  attention  to  an  olive,  she  cut  into  it  till  the 
edge  of  the  knife  touched  the  stone,  and  then  began  to 
peel  that  stone,  as  it  were,  being  careful  not  to  break  the 
peel,  and  keeping  close  to  the  stone.  When  the  knife 
had  passed  all  around,  the  stone  was  in  her  left  thumb 
and  finger,  the  peel  or  stoned  olive  in  her  right.  The 
stone  was  bare  except  at  the  ends,  and  the  olive  peel 
curled  back  into  its  old  form,  minus  those  ends. 


12  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  Now,  Marta,  see  if  you  can  stone  six  olives  as  I  did 
that.     Never  mind  if  3'ou  break  the  first." 

Molly  saw  Marta  start  right,  then  she  poured  out  a 
table-spoonful  of  oil  and  a  half  one  of  vinegar,  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  salt,  and  a  scant  half  one  of  pepper.  These 
she  mixed  thorouglily  and  poured  over  the  chicken,  tak- 
ing care  that  it  should  go  well  through  it.  Then  she 
looked  into  the  oven.  The  biscuits  had  been  in  five  min- 
utes ;  they  had  puffed  up  and  were  nearly  done. 

When  first  the  groceries  had  come,  Molly,  mindful  of 
her  mayonnaise,  had  put  an  egg,  bowl,  and  spoon  in  the 
ice-box,  and,  had  the  day  been  hot,  she  would  have  put 
the  oil  there  too.  She  went  for  them  now,  and  knew 
that  the  minute  it  took  her  to  get  them  had  sufficed  to 
give  the  biscuit  jnst  the  tint  she  wanted,  a  pale  golden 
blown  ;  she  took  them  out  and  set  them  in  the  warming- 
closet  of  the  range,  and  returned  to  her  salad.  She 
"Wanted  Marta  to  \\ash  the  lettuce,  but  having  set  her  to 
stone  olives  was  careful  not  to  take  her  from  that  task. 

"  My  bad  management,"  she  thought.  "  I  ought  to 
have  set  her  to  wash  the  lettuce,  and  leave  it  drying  in 
a  cloth  while  she  did  the  olives." 

IMarta  had  managed  to  cut  three  or  four  olives  into 
small  pieces,  but  had  evidently  not  seized  the  idea. 
Molly  stoned  another  one  for  her,  and  then  Marta  once 
more  began. 

"  Now,  IMarta,  I  want  you  to  stone  those  and  then  to 
wash  the  lettuce,  putting  each  leaf  on  a  clean  cloth  as 
you  do  it.  I  am  going  to  make  a  mayonnaise  sauce, 
which  I  must  show  you  another  day." 

She  broke  the  egg^  putting  the  white  into  a  cup,  the 
yolk  into  her  ice-cold  bowl,  and  began  to  stir  it.  This 
she  did  for  a  few  seconds,  and  then  added  a  few  drops  of 
oil,  stirred  just  long  enough  for  it  to  disappear  in  the 
yolk,  then  added  a  very  little  more,  and  so  on,  stirring 
steadily,  waiting  till  the  last  oil  was  blended  before  add- 
ing more.  When  it  had  once  assumed  the  pale  opaque 
yellow  that  told  her  the  mayonnaise  had  "  come,"  she 
added  oil  in  rather  larger  quantities.     Five  minutes  after 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH,  13 

this  point  the  mayonnaise  was  as  thick  as  butter  in 
warm  weather  ;  a  little  more  oil  and  it  could  no  longer 
be  stirred,  for  it  clung  to  the  spoon. 

"  Now,  Marta,  you  see  when  it  gets  like  this  I  add  a 
few  drops  of  vinegar,  which  changes  the  color,  —  whitens 
it,  —  but  stirring  a  few  seconds  blends  the  vinegar,  and 
it  now  is  like  very  thick  cream.  I  can  go  on  adding  oil 
now  till  it  is  very  thick  again." 

When  it  had  again  reached  the  unmanageable  point 
Molly  put  to  it,  gradually,  a  half  dessert-spoonful  of  vin- 
egar (which  she  had  ordered  to  be  very  strong),  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  salt,  and  a  very  little  white  pepper;  she 
then  tasted  it  and  found  it  would  stand  a  few  drops 
more  vinegar  for  Harry's  taste,  as  he  liked  it  rather 
sharp. 

Marta  had  finished  the  olives  fairly  well,  and  had  the 
lettuce  drying  on  the  cloth. 

"  Grind  two  table-spoonfuls  of  coffee,  Marta.  Wait, 
I  '11  tighten  the  screw  of  the  mill,  while  you  put  that 
French  coffee-pot  on  the  back  of  the  stove  to  get 
warm." 

Molly  placed  the  dry  end  of  the  cloth  over  the  lettuce 
leaves  and  patted  them,  resolving  that  a  salad-basket 
must  be  an  immediate  purchase.  She  took  the  leaves, 
now  free  from  water,  and  laid  them  over  the  salad-dish, 
reserving  the  whitest  for  the  border ;  then  she  placed 
the  chicken  in  the  centre,  mixing  with  it  the  pieces  of 
olive  Marta  had  broken  in  her  first  attempts,  and  smooth- 
ing it  with  a  knife. 

The  mayonnaise  would  have  been  all  the  better  if  it 
could  hiive  stood  in  the  ice-box  half  an  hour ;  and, 
another  time,  she  would  have  it  made  early  on  the  day 
it  was  wanted;  however,  it  was  thick  enough  to  mask 
the  chicken,  only  less  would  have  answered  the  purpose 
had  it  been  ice  cold.  She  spread  it  with  a  knife  evenly, 
then  laid  the  stoned  olives  around  at  intervals  —  and 
the  salad  was  ready. 

The  coffee  being  ground,  she  gave  the  salad  to  Marta 
to  take  to  the  ice-box  for  the  twenty  minutes  that  would 


14  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

elapse  before  lunch-time,  while  she  broke  three  eggs 
and  separated  them,  and  when  Marta  returned  gave  her 
the  wliites  to  beat  to  a  high  froth.  While  she  was  do- 
ing that,  Molly  got  the  frying-pan,  put  a  table-spoonful 
of  butter  in  it,  and  set  both  to  get  hot ;  then  she  poured 
boiling  water  through  the  coffee-pot  (in  case  it  might 
not  have  been  used  lately),  threw  it  out,  and  put  two 
full  table-spoonfuls  of  coffee  (ground  much  finer  than 
the  grocer  does  it,  being,  in  fact,  about  like  coarse  corn 
meal)  into  the  fine  strainer,  replaced  the  coarse  one 
over  it,  and  then  took  a  tin  pint  measure,  filled  it  with 
boiling  water,  and  poured  half  into  the  coffee-pot ;  the 
other  half  she  set  on  the  stove  to  keep  at  boiling-point, 
while  the  first  dripped  through  ;  then  she  put  half  a  pint 
of  milk  to  boil,  and,  seeing  the  butter  was  melted,  she 
drew  back  the  frying-pan  that  it  might  not  burn  till  the 
omelette  was  ready. 

Marta  had  not  yet  reached  the  point  of  snow  with  the 
whites  of  eggs,  and  Molly  took  them  from  her  to  finish 
herself. 

"Now,  Marta,  put  that  little  fringed  napkin  on  the 
dish,  and  with  a  fork  take  up  those  biscuits." 

She  watched  her  while  she  performed  her  task,  drop- 
ping two  or  three  on  the  floor,  of  course,  but  that  did 
not  ruffle  Molly's  good  temper,  for  she  knew  the  girl 
could  not  have  been  accustomed  to  doing  things  dainti4^, 
—  that  if  she  followed  her  instinct,  it  would  no  doubt  be 
to  tumble  them  all  out  pell-mell  together. 

"  Now  take  those  to  the  table,  set  them  on  the  mat  I 
showed  you,  and  come  back  at  once." 

The  eggs  were  now  ready,  and  as  the  omelette  was  to 
be  the  very  last  thing  cooked,  she  poured  the  rest  of  the 
water  on  the  coffee,  told  Marta  to  get  the  waiter  ready, 
and  then  pour  the  boiling  milk  into  the  pitcher  and  set 
it  on  it. 

"  Now,  Marta,  take  the  chicken  salad  into  the  dining- 
room,  and  at  the  same  time  take  the  melon  from  the  ice- 
box and  bring  it  here  as  you  come  back." 

The  coffee  had  now  all  dripped  through ;  she  took  a 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  15 

cup  and  poured  it  full  of  coffee,  and  then  poured  it  back 
to  run  throuofh  aojain,  —  then  she  directed  Marta  to  cut 
the  melon  in  half,  remove  the  seeds,  and  lay  the  halves 
in  a  dish  with  a  piece  of  ice  in  each  half.  Knowing 
Marta  would  not  understand  cracking  ice,  Molly  had 
put  some  ready,  when  she  had  gone  for  the  bowl  and 
egg  for  mayonnaise. 

*'  Now,  Marta,  I  will  run  up  stairs  and  get  ready  for 
lunch  ;  while  I  am  gone  take  the  melon  into  the  dining- 
room  and  put  it  on  the  table  at  the  side  opposite  the  bis- 
cuit. Remember,  at  luncheon  everything  may  go  on  the 
table  at  once.  The  butter  is  ready  on  a  dish  in  the  ice- 
box ;  place  that,  and  by  that  time  I  will  be  down." 

Molly  had  worn  a  homespun  walking-dress,  and  it  had 
been  the  custom  of  herself  and  friend,  Mrs.  Welles,  to 
try  and  emulate  the  neatness  of  the  teacher  at  the  cook- 
ing-school they  had  attended,  who  dressed  handsomely, 
wore  no  apron,  and  left  her  class  spotless.  They  had 
attained  to  great  neatness,  but  Molly  found  herself  more 
comfortable  in  a  large  apron.  She  did  not  yet  remove 
it,  but  put  on  a  clean  collar,  arranged  a  stray  curl,  and 
washed  her  face  and  hands,  then  ran  down  to  finish  her 
omelette.  She  put  the  frying-pan  back  to  a  hot  place, 
stirred  the  yolks  of  eggs  with  a  good  pinch  of  salt  and  a 
little  pepper,  and  mixed  them  gently  with  the  whites, 
and  poured  both  into  the  pan,  which  she  turned  about 
that  the  mixture  might  run  into  every  part ;  and  when 
it  was  "set"  underneath,  she  lifted  one  side,  tilted  the 
pan  and  allowed  the  uncooked  custard  to  run  into  its 
place  ;  this  she  kept  on  doing,  always  turning  the  cooked 
part  toward  the  centre,  until  in  three  minutes  it  was  a 
light  custard-like  mass  ;  then,  with  a  cake-turner,  she 
folded  one  side  over  and  slipped  the  doubled  omelette  on 
to  a  hot  dish,  where  it  lay,  a  delicate  golden-brown  mound. 

"  Now,  Marta,  take  in  the  coffee  and  milk." 

She  heard  Harry  coming  down  stairs,  and  looking  at 
the  clock  saw  it  was  three  minutes  past  one. 

"  Going  up  to  dress  did  that,"  she  thought,  "  but  it  is 
not  so  bad,  yet  I  am  sorry  Marta  has  the  bad  exam- 
ple." 


16  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  Odors  of  Araby  the  blest !  "  quoted  Harry,  as  Molly, 
divested  of  her  apron,  the  omelette  in  hand,  followed 
him  into  the  dining-room.  ''  1  smell  coffee  !  —  real  aro- 
matic coffee  !  " 

Fie  stood  and  surveyed  the  pretty  lunch  table,  looked 
at  the  Delmonico-like  salad,  the  Frenchy  omelette,  and 
then  at  Molly. 

"  Humph,  is  this  all  cooking-school,  or  is  it  part  ca- 
terer, —  if  there  is  such  a  being  in  Greenfield  ?  " 

*'  It  is  part  cooking-school,  and  a  tiny  bit  Molly,"  said 
the  young  wife.  "  No,  indeed,  I  have  no  acquaintance 
with  caterers." 

"  This  omelette  should  not  palpitate  its  excellence 
away  ;  shall  I  help  you,  dear  ?" 

"  No  ;  I  devote  myself  to  salad  "  —  then  to  Marta, 
who  was  waiting,  uncertain  what  to  do : 

"  Marta,  go  into  the  kitchen  and  wash  up,  in  quite 
hot  water,  the  soiled  pans  and  dishes." 

"  Molly,  this  omelette  is  perfect ;  you  have  put  forth 
your  strength,  indeed ;  but.  my  dear  little  girl,  I  am  not 
going  to  have  you  spend  all  your  time  in  the  kitchen." 

"  I  don't  mean  to,  but  I  can  give  a  couple  of  hours 
each  day,  and  it  will  do  me  good." 

"  But  this  luncheon  is  quite  elaborate.  Oh,  I  've 
heard  of  chicken  salad  and  its  intricacy,  before  now." 

Molly  smiled  ;  she  had  known  it  too.  "  I  will  take 
some  of  it  if  you  please." 

"Ah,  Molly,  I  believe  it's  worth  while  to  give  up 
boarding  and  to  live  on  cold  meat,  to  have  such  coffee  as 
this,  and  such  biscuit !  " 

*'  I  think  it  is,  although  I  don't  intend  to  live  on  cold 
meat;  I  don't  like  it." 

"  But  I  suppose  we  must  do  a  good  deal  of  that,  or 
eat  quantities  of  hash,  for  we  can't  afford  to  throw  our 
cold  meat  away." 

"  Ah,  Harry,  what  would  be  the  good  of  my  devotion 
to  cooking-schools  if  I  could  n't  do  better  than  that?" 

"  If  you  learned  to  make  chicken  salad  there,  I  swear 
by  them  forever." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  17 

"  You  '11  forswear  your  ridicule,  I  hope." 

"  I  will,  indeed,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  this  salad ; 
there  's  a  tang,  a  something  about  it,  that  outdoes  my 
previous  conception  of  the  dish.  Now,  Molly,  eliminate 
yourself  from  the  cooking-schools,  and  tell  me  which 
was  the  '  tiny  bit  of  Molly.'  " 

"  Ah,  Molly  was  the  '  something '  in  the  salad  —  and 
also  what  made  it  a  very  easy  instead  of  a  difficult  dish 
to  prepare.  You  have  eaten,  before,  salad  made  of 
boiled  or  roast  chicken.  I  made  this  of  canned  chicken, 
which  saves  all  trouble  of  preparing,  and  is  besides  of 
far  better  flavor,  for  the  jelly  and  all  the  goodness  is 
sealed  up  in  the  can,  instead  of  escaping  into  the  water. 
I  don't  like  boughten  canned  things,  usually,  but  the 
chicken  is  a  success." 

"The  salad  was,  at  any  rate.  Now /I  'm  going  to 
smoke  ;  shall  we  survey  our  domain  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  '11  be  out  in  one  minute,  when  I  have  shown 
Marta  how  to  clear  away." 

Harry  left  the  room  and  Marta  answered  the  bell. 

"  Now,  Marta,  bring  your  tray,  set  it  on  that  table 
and  put  these  things  on  it." 

Molly,  as  she  spoke,  smoothed  over  the  salt-cellars 
with  a  spoon,  then  put  them  away ;  also  the  napkins, 
while  Marta  removed  the  dishes,  etc. 

"  Now,  Marta,  never  take  off  the  cloth  to  shake  it, 
but  do  as  you  see  me  do  now." 

Molly  had  taken  a  folded  napkin,  and  brushed  the 
crumbs  lightly  into  the  crumb-pan. 

"  At  dinner  do  this  ■after  the  meat  is  removed.  Now 
take  the  cloth  by  this  centre  fold,  lift  it  from  the  table, 
lay  it  back  double,  and  then  fold  again  in  the  old 
creases,  till  it  is  just  as  it  left  the  laundress.  At  dinner 
you  shall  do  it  yourself  under  my  direction." 

Molly  then  went  out  to  join  Harry  in  the  little  gar- 
den. She  had  her  trunks  to  unpack,  and  contents  to 
arrange  in  the  bureau  drawers,  but  she  meant  to  devote 
half  an  hour  to  her  husband,  on  this  first  day  of  their 
home  life. 


18  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  Well,  Molly,  my  dear,  I  begin  to  think  I  like  house- 
keeping." 

"  I  knew  you  would,  Harry,  but  remember  we  have 
only  just  begun,  and  hitches  will  come  sometimes,  but 
even  at  the  worst  that  need  be,  with  moderate  care,  I 
think  you  would  not  go  back  to  our  one  room  again,  and 
the  routine  meals." 

"  No  ;  I  begin  to  feel  some  of  the  aspirations  of  pro- 
prietorship, and  to  wish  this  little  place  were  mine." 

"  I  am  so  glad,  Harry,  because  if  you  go  on  thinking 
so,  in  spring  we  can  get  a  similar  place  of  our  own." 

When  they  had  walked  and  talked  till  Harry  said  he 
was  going  in  to  write  letters,  Molly  returned  to  the 
house,  and  found  Marta  in  grand  confusion  washing 
glasses,  silver,  and  greasy  dishes  all  together. 

"  Oh,  Marta  !  I  must  show  you  a  better  way  than  that. 
Take  those  things  out  of  the  dish-pan.  Get  clean  hot 
water  and  a  little  soap,  so.  Now  take  glasses  first ;  roll 
them  round  and  put  them  in  this  empty  dish-pan.  Now 
the  silver.  Put  the  greasy  dishes  in,  and  leave  them 
while  you  pour  nearly  boiling  water  over  the  silver  and 
glass.  Now  bring  the  waiter  and  wipe  each  article  as  it 
comes  out  of  that  hot  water.  You  see  it  takes  only  a 
minute  ;  being  hot  they  hardly  dampen  the  cloth. 

"  Now  set  those  dry  things  on  a  tray,  and  wash  the 
greasy  dishes,  using  more  soap  if  the  water  does  not 
lather ;  slip  each  dish  into  this  hot  water,  and  wipe  them 
out  of  it  directly  ;  don't  drain  them,  and  then  wipe 
them  half  cold."  * 

When  she  had  thus  straightened  Marta  out,  and  set 
her  to  make  up  the  fire  and  sweep  the  kitchen,  she  went 
up  to  her  unpacking  and  other  arrangements. 


CHAPTER  m. 

molly's  first  bill  of  fare. 

Lamb  and  Mint  Sauce. 

Browned  Potatoes.  Boiled  Cabbage, 

Italian  Macaroni.         Tomato  Salad. 

Peaches  and  Cream. 

Mrs.  Wixfield  had  given  MoUv  some  useful  infor- 
mation about  her  neighbors,  and  one  item  was  that  she 
could  get  cream  from  one,  and  salad  and  fresh  vegeta- 
bles  from  another.  She  had  resolved  to  have  a  very 
simple  dinner  for  to-day,  although  she  knew  it  would  be 
more  expensive  than  a  better-seeming  one,  where  she 
could  make  good  cooking  count  for  half  the  money. 

She  had  ordered,  on  her  way  to  the  house,  a  fore- 
quarter  of  lamb  weighing  eight  pounds,  and  at  four 
o'clock  she  went  down  to  see  to  the  fire.  Before  going 
up-stairs  she  had  put  on  coals  and  closed  all  dampers  ; 
now  she  showed  Marta  how  to  rake  it.  and  how  to  ar- 
range the  dampers  so  that  the  fire  would  draw,  and  the 
oven  get  hot;  then  she  left  the  kitchen,  telling  Marta,  as 
she  had  everything  tidy  down-stairs,  she  could  go  to  her 
room  and  put  some  of  her  belongings  in  place. 

Molly  was  now  feeling  glad  of  rest,  for  her  unpack- 
ing and  unwonted  standing  had  tired  her,  and,  thinking 
she  might  indulge  herself,  she  took  a  book  and  lay  down 
on  the  sofa.  Half  an  hour  she  lay  thus,  enjoying  the 
repose  and  her  book  far  more  than  when  she  had  had  un- 
limited opportunity  for  both. 

"  Ha,  ha  !  what  magic  is  this?  Our  new  housekeeper 
finds  time  on  '  moving  day '  to  lie  down  and  improve  her 
mind,"  cried  Harry,  as  he  came  into  the  room  and  sat 
down  by  her  side. 


20  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  I  could  have  found  plenty  to  do,  although  coming 
into  a  ready-furnislied  house,  left  in  such  perfect  order 
as  this  was,  really  leaves  one  little,  the  first  day,  but  to 
shake  down  into  place  and  plan  what  one  can  do  to- 
morrow. I  have  unpacked,  put  our  own  knick-knacks 
about  up-stairs,  and  then  I  felt  tired  enough  to  lie  down, 
and  thought  it  wise  to  do  so  before  I  was  over-tired." 

''  Of  course  it  was.  I  have  been  looking  about  me 
out-of-doors,  ordered  a  paper  to  be  sent,  and  priced  a 
brood  of  chickens." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  not  yet,  Harry  !  we  Ml  see  about  chickens 
when  we  are  settled,  unless,  indeed,  you  want  them 
badly." 

"  i  ?     No,  indeed  !  1  thought  of  you." 

"  Then  I  would  rather  wait.  I  see  some  cabbages 
down  at  the  end  of  the  garden.  I  have  longed  to  taste 
nice  cabbaore  for  months." 

"  You  vulgar  little  person ! " 

**  You  won't  say  so  when  you  eat  it." 

"  No,  but  I  shan't  eat  it,  my  dear.  I  've  too  much 
respect  for  my  digestion." 

"  What  a  pity  !  " 

Notwithstanding  Harry's  determination,  IMolly  went 
for  a  cabbage,  and  told  Marta  to  put  it  in  water.  Then 
Molly  took  the  fore-quarter  of  lamb,  and  with  a  sharp 
knife  she  made  a  deep  incision,  just  where  the  neck  ends 
and  the  shoulder  begins,  carrying  the  knife  round  nearly 
in  a  circle,  always  cutting  as  deeply  as  possible  until 
the  shoulder  was  free  from  the  quarter.  She  had  now 
before  her  the  breast  and  rack,  or  ribs,  the  scrag,  and 
the  shoulder,  —  a  nice,  neat  joint.  All  she  had  allowed 
the  butcher  to  do  to  the  quarter  was  to  joint  the  chops 
and  crack  the  breast  across  in  the  usual  way,  hut  not  to 
touch  the  shoulder. 

Molly  had  seen  this  process  of  removing  the  shoulder 
so  often  in  Europe  (where  it  is  a  very  choice  joint), 
that  she  had  felt  sure  she  could  manage  it.  She  knew 
that  the  great  thing  was  to  have  the  shoulder  as  tJdck  as 
possible,  therefore  the  knife  must  cut  to  the  rib  bones, 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 


21 


and  yet  that  the  circle  traced  by  the  knife  should  go 
only  within  three  inches  of  the  edge  on  the  rib  side  or 
back,  and  follow  the  line  of  the  breast  on  the  front,  so 


that  there  remained  five  or  six  rib  chops  with  the  fat 
upon  them,  and  several  from  under  the  shoulder  up  to 
the  scrag,  which  would  be  excellent  "  Fi-ench  chops," 
ready  trimmed,  —  she  would  only  have  to  scrape  the 
bone. 

To-day,  however,  she  only  separated  the  breast  and 
cut  off  three  rib  chops,  and  trimmed  them  ready  for 
breakfast,  then  put  them  away  with  the  meat,  leaving  tlie 
shoulder  out  for  dinner.  It  weighed  about  three  and  a 
lialf  pounds,  and  would  take,  being  lamb,  which  must  be 
so  well  done,  an  hour  and  a  quarter  to  cook.  She  set 
Marta  to  peel  half  a  dozen  potatoes  of  medium  size, 
while  she  set  the  shoulder  on  a  wire  stand  in  a  dripping- 
pan,  tlien  shook  a  little  flour  over  it  and  rubbed  a  little 
salt  on  the  skin.  Molly  had  profited  too  well  by  her 
cooking-school  lessons  to  tliink  of  putting  salt  on  the 
flesh  of  meat  before  cooking,  when  it  would  draw  out  the 
gravy.  When  the  potatoes  were  peeled  and  washed, 
she  put  them  in  the  dripping-pan  under  the  meat,  and 
for  fear  enough  fat  should  not  drop  from  the  joint  to 
prevent  the  potatoes  from  becoming  hard  and  dry  be- 


VI.' 


22  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

fore  they  browned,  she  laid  the.  scraps  of  fat  she  had 
cut  from  the  breakfast  chops  upon  them.  It  was  both 
young  and  fat  lamb,  —  had  it  not  been,  Molly  would  not 
have  risked  the  strong  taste  of  lamb  that  is  nearly  mut- 
ton, on  potatoes,  nor  the  hard,  whitish  dryness  of  those 
cooked  under  lean  meat. 

The  potatoes  were  well  sprinkled  with  salt  and  the 
pan  set  in  the  oven.  Molly  had  only  intended  having 
the  lamb,  and  cut-up  peaches  and  cream  for  dessert, 
yet,  seeing  she  had  time,  for  it  was  just  a  quarter  to  five 
now,  and  only  the  cloth  for  Marta  to  lay,  and  the  cab- 
bage to  cook,  she  thought  she  would  give  Harry  some 
of  his  beloved  macaroni  as  a  course.  She  therefore 
broke  a  few  pipes  of  macaroni  into  pieces  about  six 
inches  long,  taking  a  dozen  of  them,  and  set  them  on  to 
boil  in  water  and  a  little  salt  till  tender.  While  this 
was  in  process,  she  had  sent  Marta  for  some  toma- 
toes from  the  vine,  and  when  they  came,  showed  her 
how  to  scald  them,  and  herself  squeezed  the  pulp  from 
two  large  ones  through  a  strainer,  and  set  it  in  a  small 
thick  saucepan  with  a  table-spoonful  of  butter,  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  salt,  and  a  little  pepper,  and  put  it  on  the 
stove  where  it  would  slowly  cook. 

Marta  had  scalded  half  a  dozen  tomatoes  and  dropped 
them,  as  she  skinned  them,  on  some  cracked  ice.  Molly 
took  them  when  they  were  cold  and  firm,  and  with  a 
sharp  knife  cut  them  into  slices  and  set  them  in  the  ice- 
box. 

"  Now,  Marta,  come  with  me  to  set  the  dinner-table. 
X  will  show  you,  to-night,  and  expect  you  to  remember 
afterwards.  You  first  remove  the  cover  and  fold  it,  but 
leave  on  this  white  baize." 

Molly  watched  to  see  if  the  girl  had  remembered  her 
instructions  at  lunch,  but  found  she  had  not  retained  one 
idea. 

*'  No,  Marta,  the  middle  fold,  lengthwise,  and  exactly 
in  the  centre ;  now  the  flowers,  now  a  plate  to  each  per- 
son, the  napkin  to  the  left  with  a  piece  of  bread  in  it,  a 
large  and  a  small  knife,  two  forks  and  a  spoon  to  each  per- 


\ 


^^INUT  HILL.  MA3^ 
TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  23 

son  ;  above  these  the  glasses  and  a  butter-plate.'^  Now 
put  this  carving-napkin  in  front  of  Mr.  Bishop,  lay  the 
large  table-mat  there,  and  when  you  bring  in  the  meat 
set  the  dish  upon  it.  Now  count  the  dishes  and  set  a 
mat  for  each,  one  salt-cellar  and  pepper-caster  at  each 
right-hand  corner,  two  table-spoons  at  the  same  place. 
Now  that  is  all,  and  you  can  come  and  peel  peaches." 

Molly  heard  the  meat  in  the  oven  sputtering  and  hiss- 
ing, and  found  it  browning  nicely.  She  basted  it,  turning 
the  potatoes  over,  and  closed  the  oven.  It  was  twenty 
minutes  past  five. 

"  Marta,  I  want  you  to  pay  attention  to  everything  I 
do,  because  the  next  time  we  have  this  dinner  I  shall 
expect  you  to  cook  it  alone,  and  when  you  have  learnt 
to  roast  one  piece  of  meat  properly,  you  will  be  able  to 
roast  any  other.  Remember  the  rules,  —  your  oven 
must  be  quite  hot  when  the  meat  goes  in ;  if,  after  a 
while,  you  find  danger  of  its  burning,  cool  it,  but  meat 
can't  get  brown  too  quickly  to  retain  the  juices.  You 
must  put  no  water  in  the  pan,  for  that  steams  it.  If 
your  meat  is  so  very  lean  that  it  will  be  dry,  it  is  of 
such  poor  quality  that  you  should  not  try  to  roast  it 
(and  that  sort  of  meat  you  will  not  have  to  cook  for 
me),  or  it  is  a  part  unsuitable  for  roasting,  and  should  be 
cooked  some  other  way.  Baste  often,  and  when  meat  is 
half  done,  —  that  is,  brown  and  crisp  on  top,  —  turn  it 
over,  as  I  shall  do  that  lamb  in  a  few  minutes.  Above 
all  things,  meat  must  be  brown  if  roasted." 

Marta  had  peeled  the  eight  peaches  Molly  had  given 
her,  and  the  latter  now  told  her  to  three  parts  fill  a 
gallon  saucepan  with  water  from  the  kettle,  which  she 
had  taken  care  to  see  full  when  she  set  the  oven  to  heat, 
and  which  was  now  boiling. 

"  Put  it  in  the  hottest  spot,  Marta ;  we  want  it  to  boil 
quickly.  Now  that  cabbage  :  it  is  only  a  small  head,  so 
you  can  cut  it  in  four,  and  remove  the  outer  leaves,  —  also 
cut  away  the  core  ;  wash  it  thoroughly  in  two  waters ;  now 

1  Butter  is  no  longer  thought  indispensable  to  the  dinner-table,  and 
butter-plates  are  consequently  a  matter  of  taste. 


24  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

hold  the  colander  in  your  left  hand,  and  as  you  wash 
the  cabbage  through  the  second  water  lay  it  in  it ;  then 
pour  the  water  out  of  the  pan  and  set  the  colander  in  it, 
so  that  all  water  may  run  off  the  cabbage  ;  the  thing  we 
want  is  to  check  the  boiling  water  as  little  as  possible, 
which  the  cabbage,  filled  with  cold  water,  would  do. 
Now  I  am  going  to  turn  the  meat  over,  so  that  the  under 
side  will  brown,  while  you  pour  the  water  off  that  mac- 
aroni ;  it  is  just  tender  but  not  breaking." 

The  lamb  was  brown  and  crisp  on  the  top  when  Molly 
turned  the  under  side  up,  so  that  it  might  become  equally 
so.  Marta  brought  the  macaroni  back  to  the  stove,  and 
Molly  poured  over  it  the  tomato  juice  she  had  put  to  re- 
duce. There  was  enough  to  moisten  the  macaroni  and 
yet  leave  a  little  in  the  saucepan.  She  put  it  at  the 
back  of  the  stove,  where  it  would  keep  about  boiling- 
point,  but  not  burn. 

"  Now  the  cabbage,  Marta.  You  see  this  water  is 
boiling  t^ery  fast ;  put  it  in  gently,  so  that  if  there  is  too 
much  in  the  saucepan  you  may  dip  some  out  before  it 
overflows,  —  no,  it  all  goes  in,  and  the  water  covers  it 
well ;  now  put  in  one  table-spoonful  of  salt  and  one 
scant  salt-spoonful  of  baking  soda.  Eemember,  Marta, 
cabbage  must  never  be  allowed  to  remain  long  in  hot 
water  before  it  boils  up  ;  it  must  boil  very  fast ;  for  that 
reason  it  must  always  be  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  stove, 
and  there  must  be  abundance  of  water  and  the  saucepan 
always  large.  As  soon  as  it  comes  back  to  the  boiling- 
point,  take  off  the  cover,  and  leave  it  off  all  the  while,  and 
push  the  cabbage  down  under  the  water  from  time  to 
time.  The  whole  secret  of  boiling  cabbage  without  fill- 
ing the  house  with  a  bad  odor  and  sending  to  table  a 
vulgar,  yellow,  wilted  vegetable,  full  of  dyspepsia,  is  to 
remember  —  rapid  boiling,  plenty  of  water,  plenty  of 
room,  and  the  cover  o/f*" 

She  took  off  the  stove-lid  as  she  spoke,  and  bright- 
ened the  top  of  the  fire,  and  in  another  minute  the  cab- 
bage was  "  galloping." 

"  Twenty-five   minutes   from   now   it  will   be   done. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  25 

Now,  Marta,  I  want  you  to  run  to  that  white  house 
across  the  lot,  and  ask  for  half  a  pint  of  cream." 

The  peaches  were  cut  up,  and  Molly  put  them  in  a 
bowl  and  set  it  on  the  ice.  When  she  came  back  she 
grated  a  small  piece  of  cheese,  about  as  big  as  her  thumb, 
and  shook  it  into  the  macaroni,  shaking  the  saucepan 
about,  so  that  it  would  mix  without  breaking  the  pipes, 
and  set  it  back  to  keep  hot. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  done  now  till  the  cabbage 
was  cooked. 

Suddenly  Molly  remembered  something  she  had  for- 
gotten, and  stopped  short,  very  much  vexed. 

"  I  have  no  cake  to  eat  with  the  peaches,  and  Harry 
is  so  fond  of  cake  !  I  've  just  time  to  make  a  '  fifteen 
minutes'  cake,'  and  I  will.  No,  /  won't!  it  will  make 
getting  dinner  on  time  a  scramble ;  I  shall  go  in  flushed 
and  heated,  and  Harry  will  think  I  am  killing  myself, 
and  Marta  will  think  she  may  scramble  ever  after.  We 
will  do  without  cake." 

Marta  returned  with  the  cream,  which  was  put  in  the 
ice-box,  and  she  was  then  set  at  chopping  the  leaves  of 
some  mint  for  mint  sauce.  Molly  had  found,  on  walking 
around  Greenfield  the  first  day  they  visited  the  house,  a 
quantity  of  mint  growing  near,  and  had  pulled  a  few 
roots  and  replanted  them  in  the  garden.  When  it  was 
chopped  quite  fine,  she  took  one  table-spoonful,  an  equal 
quantity  of  sugar,  and  as  the  vinegar  was  very  strong, 
she  used  one  table-spoonful  of  it  and  one  of  water,  poured 
them  over  the  mint  and  stirred  it  till  the  sugar  was  dis- 
solved. 

Marta,  meantime,  had  put  the  plates  and  dishes  to 
warm,  and  Molly  sent  the  mint  sauce  to  the  table. 

"  Marta,  you  will  need,  to  dress  the  cabbage,  a  little 
milk,  a  table-spoonful  of  butter,  and  a  large  tea-spoonful 
of  flour.  Make  the  flour  and  butter  to  a  paste  with  the 
end  of  a  knife.  When  I  take  up  the  meat,  you  pour 
the  cabbage,  which  I  see  will  be  done  in  a  few  minutes, 
into  the  colander  ;  the  leaves  are  like  marrow  now,  but 
the  stalk  is  a  little  hard;  when  it  is  in  the  colander,  press 


26  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

it  with  a  plate  to  get  every  drop  of  water  out,  and  put 
it  back  into  the  pot,  with  butter  and  flour,  a  scant  salt- 
spoonful  of  salt,  a  little  white  pepper,  and  half  a  tea- 
cupful  of  milk.  You  must  remember,  too,  that  when  I 
am  not  here  to  help  you  dish  the  dinner,  you  must  put 
your  meat  in  the  oven  five  minutes  sooner ;  it  can  be 
taken  up  before  the  vegetables,  but  on  no  account  must 
you  take  up  vegetables  first,  and  let  them  wait.  Never 
put  them  on  too  soon.  Now  put  tlie  warm  dishes  on  the 
table  in  the  order  in  which  they  will  be  needed  ;  the  meat- 
platter  first,  the  vegetable-dishes  next.  The  macaroni 
you  will  bring  in  after  I  ring  for  you  to  take  out  the 
meat, —  I  mean,  you  will  take  away  the  meat  and  vege- 
tables, then  bring  in  the  macaroni  and  fresh  plates,  and 
after  tliat,  the  tomatoes,  as  a  salad ;  and,  last  of  all,  the 
fruit  and  tea.  Now  go  and  put  the  cracked  ice  on  the 
table,  the  pitcher  of  water,  and  the  butter  with  a  piece 
of  ice  on  it,  and  come  quickly  back." 

Molly  looked  again  at  the  macaroni,  found  a  little 
liquid  still  at  the  bottom  of  the  saucepan,  and  set  it 
nearer  the  fire  to  cook  away,  and  now  left  the  cover  off. 

"  Marta,  the  cabbage  is  done ;  pour  off  the  water." 

At  the  same  time  Molly  took  the  meat  out  of  the 
oven,  and  set  it  in  the  pan  on  the  stove ;  she  removed 
the  crisp  brown  shoulder  to  the  platter,  put  the  potatoes 
round  it,  ^nd  then  poured  the  fat  from  the  corner  of  the 
dripping-pan  into  a  jar  very  gently  and  carefully,  to 
prevent  the  small  quantity  of  brown  sediment  there 
was  from  leaving  it  too,  for  that  was  the  gravy ;  when 
she  could  get  no  more  fat  from  one  corner,  without  let- 
ting the  gravy  go  too,  she  changed  to  another,  till  it 
was  free  from  it ;  she  set  the  pan  on  the  stove  and 
poured  in  a  cup  of  water  and  a  pinch  of  salt ;  with  a 
spoon  she  rubbed  the  pan  in  every  direction,  to  get  off 
the  clinging  glaze  or  dried  gravy,  and  then  she  let  the 
water  boil  fast  while  she  looked  after  Marta  and  the 
cabbage  which  she  was  stirring. 

"Take  a  knife,  Marta,  and  cut  the  cabbage  across 
several  times,  and  then,  when  tl^e  milk  forms  a  creamy 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  27 

dressing  and  it  all  bubbles  together,  turn  it  out  into  the 
dish." 

The  gravy  had  in  two  minutes  boiled  down  enough, 
—  there  was  very  little  from  such  a  small  joint ;  it 
was  poured  through  a  strainer  and,  with  the  meat,  put 
to  keep  warm  while  Molly  made  tea. 

"  Turn  the  cabbage  out  now,  Marta  ;  put  the  cover 
on  the  dish  and  take  it  to  the  dining-room  ;  then  take 
the  meat  and  bring  in  the  macaroni  when  I  ask  you  for 
it,  but  you  can  put  it  in  the  dish  ready,  and  keep  it  hot. 
When  all  is  ready,  put  on  a  white  apron,  which  I  hung 
for  you  behind  the  door,  and  tell  Mr.  Bishop,  whom  I 
see  in  the  garden,  that  dinner  is  ready." 

Molly  had  dressed  herself  in  the  afternoon  and  only 
needed  to  run  up-stairs  to  remove  traces  of  her  work. 
As  the  clock  struck  six  she  heard  Marta  carrying  in 
dinner,  and  got  down  herself  in  time  to  tell  Harry  it 
was  served. 

"  What  joint  may  this  be,  my  dear?"  Harry  asked 
when  seated. 

"  Ah  !  that  is  the  English  delicacy,  a  '  shoulder  of 
lamb.'  Don't  you  remember  Sam  Weller's  '  shoulder 
of  mutton  and  trimmings  '  at  the  '  Swarry  ? '  There  is 
a  particular  way  to  carve  it,  which  my  mother  used  to 
be  very  particular  about.  I  can  only  describe  it  by 
saying,  you  cut  it  like  a  leg,  and  there  is  the  same  rea- 
son for  beginning  at  the  right  side,  —  on  one  side  you 
can  cut  only  a  shallow  gash  and  a  meagre  slice,  on  the 
other  a  deep  one,  —  therefore,  till  you  are  familiar  with 
the  joint,  prod  for  the  bone  with  your  fork  and  make 
one  deep  cut  to  the  centre  on  the  side  where  the  meat  is 
thickest." 

Harry  did  "  prod,"  and  then,  planting  his  fork,  stood 
the  joint  on  its  side  and  made  one  cut,  and  the  joint 
yawned  as  if  a  wedge  had  been  cut  out. 

"  There  is  a  mythical  anecdote  about  a  lady  starving 
herself  to  death  on  shoulder  of  mutton." 

"How  so?" 

"  Why,  she  chose  that  joint  every  day  and  merely 


28 


TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 


made  that  cut,  so  that  when  it  left  the  table  it  looked 
as  if  a  meal  had  been  eaten  from  it,  and  no  one  com- 
mented on  her  ^abstinence  from  food.  Thank  you,  I 
will  take  the  dish  gravy." 

"  I  approve  of  shoulder  of  lamb  decidedly,"  said 
Harry,  during  dinner. 

"1  am  glad,  for,  though  our  English  cousins  look  on 
it  as  far  more  choice  than  the  leg,  and  pay  more  for  it, 
it  is  sold  here  at  a  much  lower  price." 

"  But  what  vegetable  may  this  be  ?  "  he  asked,  look- 
ing curiously  at  the  pale  green,  appetizing  cabbage. 
*'  Cauliflower,  I  suppose,  that  has  met  with  disasters  ?  " 

"  Ko,  it  is  cabbage,  and  I  want  you  to  eat  and  see  if 
it  is  not  good." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  cabbage  has  been  cooked 
in  this  house  to-day  ?  " 

"  You  see  it." 

"  And  we  are  not  choked  !  Molly,  I  surrender ;  you 
are  a  magician  !  " 

In  short,  Molly's  dinner  was  a  success,  and  Harry  no 
longer  looked  on  cabbage  as  unfit  for  a  "  cultured  pal- 
ate." 

While  Harry  smoked  his  pipe  on  the  piazza,  after 
dinner,  Molly  went  over  her  accounts.  Her  grocer's 
bill,  for  what  she  supposed  would  be  a  month's  stores, 
was  as  follows  :  — 


2  pounds  loaf  sugar, 
10  pounds  granulated  sugar, 
25  pounds  of  the  best  flour, 

5  gallons  kerosene, 

2  pecks  of  potatoes,    . 
1  bottle  (small)  of  olives, 
4  pounds  corn  meal,  . 

6  pounds  lard, 
White  pepper, 

Salt,     .... 
1  gallon  vinegar, 
4  pounds  Java  cofEee, 
1  pound  tea, 

Common  soap, 


$0.20 

.80 

1.00 

1.00 

.40 

.30 

.10 

.70 

.10 

.15 

.30 

1.20 

.75 

.25 


TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 


29 


Toilet-soap, 

Starch,    .         .         .         , 

Bluing, 

Mustard, 

Olive  oil  (large  bottle), 

Cracker  meal, 
1  pound  cheese, 
1  bottle  Worcestershire  sauce 

Cooking- wine  (1  bottle). 

Total,    . 


.10 

.08 
.15 
.20 
.95 
.15 
.18 
.30 
.50 


$9.86 


There  were  several  things,  such  as  soap,  starch,  flour, 
and  sugar,  Molly  would  have  liked  to  buy  in  large  quan- 
tities, but  she  wanted  first  to  see  her  expenditure  ;  she 
reckoned  that  what  she  had  ordered  of  each  article  would 
last  a  month,  and  a  few  things,  such  as  vinegar,  bluing, 
sauce,  wine,  etc.,  much  longer.  "  But  I  must  wait  till 
the  end  of  the  week  before  I  can  really  know.  The  first 
week  or  month  is  always  more  expensive  in  housekeep- 
ing. I  must  add,  too,  to  my  expenditure,  to-day,  ten 
cents  for  cream,  which  will  make  it  $3,  but  I  have  meat 
in  the  house,  and  if  I  allow  one-fourth  of  the  grocery 
bill  for  this  week  I  have  left  $4.50." 

Molly  was  not  without  her  anxieties  that  she  might 
be  wrong  on  her  estimates,  often  as  she  had  gone  over 
tliem  on  paper.  Suddenly  she  looked  up.  "  I  forgot 
the  yeast,  and  I  want  to  make  bread ! " 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BREAD-MAKING BREAKFAST BAKED     POTATOES  

CORN    MUFFINS  —  BREADED     CHOPS HOW    TO    FRY. 

When  Molly  made  the  humiliating  discovery  that  she 
had  forgotten  the  yeast,  Harry,  who  was  smoking  and 
reading,  looked  up. 

"  What  shall  I  do,  that  baker's  bread  is  so  sour  ?  " 

"  I  '11  tell  you,  let 's  sally  forth  and  get  it !  It 's  a 
lovely  night ! " 

"  Would  you  ?  "  exclaimed  Molly,  brightly. 

"  Why  not  ?  You  don't  suppose  you  are  going  to 
monopolize  all  the  merits  and  reap  all  the  glory  of  this 
housekeeping,  do  you  ?  Why,  I  should  not  be  able  to 
have  one  of  the  little  jokes  other  married  men  seem  to 
enjoy  at  their  wife's  expense." 

"  I  hate  such  jokes,"  said  Molly;  "they  are  so  cheap, 
and  generally  unjust." 

"  Then  I  promise  I  won't  make  them.  I  '11  never 
boast  of  the  servant  girls  I  escort  out  from  New  York, 
nor  of  the  baskets  I  carry,  nor  the  "  — 

"  You  '11  have  no  chance  if  you  respect  the  truth," 
said  Molly,  laughing.  "  Now  if  we  are  going,  I  '11  put 
on  ray  things." 

The  little  town  of  Greenfield  was  just  venturing  on 
electric  lights,  and,  with  the  band  of  its  skating-rink 
making  music,  had  quite  a  dissipated  appearance,  as  the 
young  couple  strolled  around  in  search  of  a  grocer,  and 
Molly,  at  the  same  time,  found  out  a  few  other  facts  she 
was  anxious  to  know,  and  had  not  yet  had  time  to  dis- 
cover. 

As  they  walked  home,  Harry  said,  hesitating,  *'  My 
dear,  I  don't  want  to  interfere  with  your  housekeeping, 
and  I  feel  my  own  insignificance  in  approaching  such  a 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  31 

subject,  but  I  would  diffidently  suggest  that  our  family 
is  at  present  very  small,  and  neither  you  nor  I  like  stale 
bread.  Do  you  think  Marta  can  be  induced  to  consume 
all  the  '  left  over  '  loaves  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't." 

"  Then  don't  you  think  we  had  better  try  another 
baker  who  doesn't  make  sour  bread,  or"  —  this  was 
said  very  slowly,  as  if  it  would  be  a  sad  necessity  —  *'  I 
mio^ht  brinor  it  out  from  New  York." 

Molly  laughed  merrily. 

"  I  think  I  see  you  !  Surely  then  you  could  joke 
about  your  martyrdom.  No,  my  dear  boy,  you  're  going 
to  have  no  such  toothsome  morsel  as  that  for  a  joke, 
but  I  see  you  are  afraid  of  stale  bread." 

"  The  truth  is,  I  have  a  lively  recollection  of  living  in 
the  country  and  eating  bread  a  week  old,  and  older  still 
sometimes,  when  the  general  appetite  failed,  and  I 
don't  believe  I  'm  up  to  that  sort  of  thing  now." 

"  I  don't  think  you  are,  so  you  will  not  be  tested. 
Now-a-days  one  does  n't  fear  baking  as  one  used  to  do. 
It  is  no  more  trouble  to  make  bread  three  times  a 
week  than  to  boil  potatoes." 

"  I  'm  delighted  to  hear  it.  I  'm  learning  every  hour 
my  own  benighted  ignorance." 

When  they  reached  home  Molly  went  into  the  kitchen 
and  put  one  quarter  of  the  yeast  cake  in  a  pint  of  warm 
water,  which  she  made  Marta,  who  was  to  make  the 
next  bread,  feel  was  just  about  as  warm  as  milk  from 
the  cow,  then  she  put  a  heaped  quart  of  flour  in  the 
mixing-bowl  and  set  it  in  the  oven  with  the  door  open, 
telling  Marta  to  stir  it  in  a  few  minutes  that  it  might 
get  evenly  warm  through. 

"  I  am  doing  this,  Marta,  because  I  do  not  know  this 
flour.  It  may  be  very  new  or  damp  ;  by  drying  it  I 
shall  be  on  the  safe  side.  In  cold  weather  you  must 
warm  it  always,  so  that  the  water,  yeast,  and  flour  are 
all  about  the  same  temperature." 

When  the  yeast  was  quite  dissolved  by  stirring,  she 
put  into  the  water  one  tea-spoonful  of  salt  and  two  of 


32  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

sugar,  made  a  hole  in  the  flour  and  poured  the  liquid  in, 
and  the  whole  made  a  soft  dough  which  slightly  stuck 
to  her  hands. 

"If  it  is  necessary  just  shake  in  a  little  flour  from  the 
dredger  ;  never  throw  it  in  by  the  handful,  as  the  less 
flour  you  work  with  the  better."  As  Molly  spoke  she 
steadied  the  bowl  with  one  hand  and  with  the  other 
worked  the  dough  with  her  fist  from  the  side  to  the 
middle,  so  that  in  five  minutes  what  had  been  the  under 
part  was  all  brought  over  to  the  top,  and  the  whole  was 
smooth  and  very  elastic  to  the  touch. 

JViarta  watched  with  interest  and,  as  Molly  could  see, 
surprise. 

*'  My  mother  always  made  her  bread  thin  at  night, 
and  put  in  more  flour  in  the  morning." 

"  Yes,  but  your  mother  and  mine  had  no  certainty 
that  the  yeast  was  good,  and  it  was  better  to  '  prove  it ' 
by  using  part  of  the  flour  for  a  sponge  than  to  waste 
the  whole,  but  now  we  use  compressed  yeast,  which  we 
are  sure  is  good  if  fresh." 

Marta  did  not  look  convinced.  She  doubtless  fancied 
it  was  some  new-fangled  notion  of  Molly's.  "* 

The  bread  was  left,  covered  with  a  clean  cloth,  on 
the  table  free  from  draught,  for  it  was  a  mild  night  and 
she  knew  it  would  be  risen  well  in  the  morning  without 
going  into  a  warm  spot. 

The  next  morning,  as  it  was  Marta's  first,  Molly  was 
up  and  down-stairs  a  few  minutes  after  her,  and  found 
she  had  taken  away  the  ashes  and  was  struggling  with 
the  fire  ;  with  Molly's  help,  however,  it  was  soon  burn- 
ing in  the  stove. 

"  Now  brush  off  the  stove  quickly  before  it  gets  hot, 
and  do  so  every  morning,  and  on  Saturday  it  needs 
thorough  cleaning."  Molly  looked  at  the  bread  as  she 
spoke. 

"  Fill  the  kettle  now,  after  you  pour  out  the  water 
left  in  it,  set  it  in  the  hole  of  the  stove,  and  then  look 
at  the  bread  before  I  touch  it  that  you  may  see  how  it 
should  be.     It  is  quite  light,  as  you  see,  more  than  dou- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  33 

ble  the  size  it  was  last  night ;  now  while  you  go  and 
rlnst  the  dining-room,  brusliing  up  any  crumbs  there 
may  be  first,  I  will  work  the  bread  over,  then  you  can 
come  here  and  sweep  your  kitchen  and  the  piazzas. 
Molly  worked  the  bread  over  faithfully  for  five  minutes, 
—  had  the  quantity  been  larger,  of  course  the  time 
would  have  been  in  proportion,  — and  then  she  set  it  in 
a  warm  spot  back  of  the  range,  and  went  herself  into 
the  parlor  to  arrange  it,  knowing  Marta  would  not  be 
so  quick  this  first  morning  as  she  hoped  she  might  be- 
come later.  At  seven  o'clock  th«  work  was  done,  and 
Molly  told  Marta  she  must  do  every  morning  exactly  as 
this  morning. 

"  Now  we  will  begin  to  get  breakfast,  but  I  shall  let 
you  do  it,  because  you  will  see  that  you  have  ample 
time  without  my  help,  and  it  must  always  be  on  the 
table  at  eight  o'clock.  Bring  the  chops  I  prepared  yes- 
terday, two  eggs,  and  three  potatoes." 

Molly  looked  at  the  fire,  found  it  bright  and  the  oven 
hot ;  she  put  a  shovelful  more  of  coals  each  side  of  the 
fire,  and  then  showed  Marta  how  to  brush  the  potatoes 
with  a  little  new  brush  she  had  brought  for  the  purpose. 

"  See  the  difference,  Marta  ?  Wash  them  ever  so 
carefully,  you  can't  make  the  skins  so  clean  that  the 
minute  you  put  the  brush  to  them  they  do  not  look  sev- 
eral shades  lighter." 

They  were  put  into  the  oven. 

"  Now,  Marta,  bring  that  packet  of  cracker  meal  I 
pointed  out  yesterday,  and  pour  at  least  half  on  a  dish  ; 
LOW  a  saucer  and  the  pepper  and  salt.  Break  one  egg, 
and  put  the  yolk  into  the  saucer,  the  white  into  a  cup ; 
if  there  were  more  chops  we  would  use  both  white  and 
yolk,  —  as  there  are  so  few,  for  economy's  sake  we  will 
use  only  the  yolk ;  put  to  it  two  teaspoonfuls  of  cold 
water  and  beat  it  with  a  fork.  Now  season  those  chops 
with  salt  and  pepper,  remembering  never  to  do  so  before 
cooking  if  they  are  to  be  broiled  or  cooked  without 
breadinff." 

Murta   was  rather  clumsy,  but  still   Molly  repressed 


34  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

her  own  itching  fingers,  knowing  the  girl  would  do  bet- 
ter ill  future  if  let  alone  now. 

"  Now  lay  a  cliop  in  the  egg^  —  take  care  it  moistens 
every  part,  — lift  it  out  with  the  left  hand,  let  it  drain 
an  instant  and  lay  it  on  the  cracker  meal ;  now  with 
your  dry  right  hand  send  the  meal  all  over  it  till  every 
bit  of  the  meat  is  covered  with  the  white  dust,  then  lay 
it  aside.     Now  do  the  others  in  the  same  way." 

Molly  looked  at  the  clock  ;  it  was  nearly  half  past 
seven. 

"  Hurry,  Marta,  get  the  can  of  lard,  and,  as  that  spider 
is  not  deep,  I  am  going  to  fry  in  this  agate  saucepan  ;  it 
is  just  about  broad  enough  for  a  chop.  Put  in  it  at 
least  a  pound  of  lard,  set  it  where  it  will  get  hot,  yet 
not  boil  till  you  are  ready.  Now  you  can  grease  the 
muffin-pans,  leaving  a  teaspoonful  of  lard  in  one,  and 
then  make  the  muffins.  We  need  only  a  dozen,  so  you 
can  take  half  a  cup  of  corn  meal,  half  a  cup  of  flour, 
and  a  teaspoon  of  baking-powder  and  half  one  of  salt. 
Mix  them  quickly.  Now  a  scant  table-spoonful  of  sugar, 
and  milk  to  make  a  thick  batter,  break  in  an  Qgg,  and 
beat  it  all  steadily  three  minutes  by  the  clock,  —  no,  beat 
just  as  if  you  were  beating  eggs,  quickly,  till  it  froths. 
Now  pour  the  lard  from  the  muffin-pan  in  it,  stir  well, 
and  fill  the  pans  nearly  full ;  set  them  in  the  oven,  — 
they  will  bake  in  fifteen  minutes.  Go  now  and  set  the 
table,  and  do  it  quickly." 

On  second  thought  Molly  went  with  her  and  helped, 
because  she  could  not  easily  find  things.  She  found 
she  had  remembered  fairly  well  the  directions  about  the 
cloth. 

"  Put  the  cups  and  saucers  at  my  left,  and  that  mat 
for  the  meat  before  Mr.  Bishop  ;  the  potatoes,  on  a 
folded  napkin,  you  will  place  on  one  side,  the  muffins 
exactly  opposite  them  on  the  other,  butter  within  easy 
reach  of  both.  Put  this  tile  for  the  coffee  at  my  right 
hand,  the  sugar  and  the  milk-pitcher  in  front,  tho&e 
geraniums  in  the  centre,  a  knife  and  fork  and  rmall 
plate  to  each  ;  and  now  come  out  into  the  kitchen,  set 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  35 

the  plates  to  warm,  and  a  platter.  I  '11  put  the  lard  now 
on  the  hottest  part  of  the  stove,  and  a  cover  over  it,  so 
that  the  smell  of  hot  grease  may  be  as  little  as  possible, 
and  while  it  gets  hot  you  can  grind  the  coffee.  You 
remember  how  to  make  it  ?  Put  a  pint  of  milk  on  to 
boil,  and  set  the  other  pint  away.  Now  try  the  fat,  and 
remember  that  what  I  am  now  going  to  teach  you  with 
these  chops  applies  to  all  kinds  of  frying.  The  way  you 
crumbed  those  chops  is  the  way  you  must  crumb  cut- 
lets, fish,  oysters,  or  croquettes.  They  are  better 
crumbed  a  little  while  before  they  are  fried,  as  they 
have  time  to  dry." 

Molly  had  cut,  as  she  spoke,  some  little  cubes  of 
bread. 

"  Come  and  watch,  Marta.  This  fat  is  very  hot,  but 
I  doubt  if  it  is  hot  enough,  although  it  begins  to 
smoke." 

She  dropped  in  one  bit  of  bread,  it  sizzled,  but  after 
waiting  a  few  seconds  remained  white. 

"  It  is  not  hot  enough  or  that  bread  would  have  col- 
ored. Get  the  colander,  set  it  on  the  stove  with  this 
sheet  of  grocer's  paper  in  it.  When  you  take  any  fried 
article  out  of  the  fat,  lay  it  first  on  the  paper,  then  on  a 
hot  dish.     Now  let  us  try  the  fat  again." 

Another  bit  of  bread  was  dropped  into  the  fat,  and 
this  time  it  colored  in  a  few  seconds. 

"  Remember,  if  I  had  six  chops  instead  of  three  I 
should  let  the  fat  get  hotter  yet,  because  they  would  cool 
it  so  much.  Now  drop  each  chop  gently  in,  —  that's 
the  way.  If  they  were  very  thick,  as  soon  as  they 
were  brown  I  would  draw  back  the  fat,  and  leave  them 
longer ;  as  it  is,  two  minutes  will  brown  them  beauti- 
fully, and  they  will  be  cooked  through." 

"  Two  minutes  !  "  murmured  Marta,  in  expostulating 
tones.     She  could  hardly  be  expected  to  credit  that. 

"  Yes  ;  you  forget  this  fat  is  far  hotter  than  any  oven 
would  be,  and  they  are  completely  immersed  in  it.  You 
can  take  up  the  potatoes  if  they  are  done,  wipe  them 
and  lay  them  on  the  plate,  and  I  will  take  up  the  muffins. 


36  TEN   DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

The  two  minutes  are  up;  look  at  the  chops:  you  see 
they  are  most  beautifully  brown  all  over  alike  !  " 

Marta  exclaimed,  "  Schiin  !  "  and  stolidly  attentive  as 
she  had  been  to  all  else,  the  golden  chops  evidently  ap- 
pealed to  some  hidden  well  of  enthusiasm.  They  were 
taken  up,  laid  first  on  the  paper,  then  on  the  dish,  and 
put  to  keep  hot  while  the  breakfast  was  taken  to  the 
table. 

When  the  chops  were  going  in,  Molly  said,  "When 
we  are  settled,  I  shall  want  you  always  to  put  a  little 
parsley  on  the  dish  with  fried  things." 

The  muffins  were  light  and  crisp,  the  potatoes  looked 
far  more  tempting  in  their  pale-yellow,  well-brushed 
skins  than  they  usually  do,  and  altogether  the  breakfast 
was  as  dainty  a  meal  as  heart  could  sigh  for. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOW    TO    MANAGE    THE    FAT    THAT    HAS    BEEN    USED 
FOR   FRYING CLP    CAKE. 

When  breakfast  was  on  the  table,  Molly  directed 
Marta  to  go  up-stairs  with  pail  and  cloth  and  to  bring 
down  the  soiled  water,  fill  the  ewer  with  fresh,  etc.  As 
Harry  rose  to  put  on  his  coat,  Molly  ran  up-stairs  and 
put  on  her  hat  and  gloves.  "  I  am  going  to  the  depot 
with  you,  Harry,"  she  said,  when  she  reappeared  ready 
for  walking,  "and  I  shall  do  my  marketing  as  I  re- 
turn." 

"  That  is  a  good  idea,  Molly ;  the  walk  will  be  good 
for  you." 

Before  leaving  the  house,  Molly  passed  through  the 
kitchen,  and  told  Marta,  after  she  had  finished  her  break- 
fast, to  wash  the  breakfast  things,  but  to  leave  the  fat 
(that  she  had  herself  removed  from  the  stove  and  cov- 
ered, so  that  the  fumes  might  not  fill  the  house,  before 
she  went  in  to  breakfast)  till  she  returned.  "  After  you 
have  washed  up,  if  I  am  not  here,  fill  the  lamps  and 
clean  the  chimneys." 

This  Marta  was  doing  when  she  got  back,  and  while 
she  finished,  Molly  took  off  her  outdoor  clothes  and 
donned  her  apron.  "  Now,  Marta,  I  will  show  you 
about  this  fat,  and  I  want  you  to  remember  to  do  just 
as  you  see  me  do,  every  time  you  use  it.  This  is  a  piece 
of  cheese-cloth  ;  the  fat  is  still  quite  hot  (Molly  had  left 
it  on  the  iron  shelf  over  the  range),  but  not  scalding;  I 
put  the  cloth  over  this  empty  lard -pail,  and  without 
shaking  the  fat,  pour  it  through  the  cloth.  You  see  all 
this  fiue  black  sediment  that  remains  on  the  cloth  and  in 
the  saucepan  ?    That,  if  it  were  not  strained  out,  would 


38  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

discolor  whatever  you  fried  in  it.  When  it  is  strained 
each  time,  you  can  use  it  a  dozen  times ;  so  you  see  it  is 
not  extravagant  to  fry  in  deep  fat.  Now  you  have  a 
very  greasy  cloth  and  saucepan,  but  pour  a  quart  of 
boiling  water  and  a  piece  of  washing-soda  as  big  as  a 
walnut  on  them,  stir  them,  and  you  see  you  have  no 
more  grease^  only  some  nice  soapy  water  and  a  clean 
saucepan  !  " 

Marta's  interest  had  been  all  alive  since  she  had  seen 
the  chops,  and  she  explained  how  often  she  had  seen 
cooks  in  Germany  bread  cutlets,  and  they  came  out  of 
the  pan  only  breaded  here  and  there.  Never  had  she 
seen  them  all  over  alike,  except  at  a  restaurant  where 
she  had  been  dish-washer,  and  where  there  was  a  man 
cook. 

"  The  crumbs  come  off  for  one  of  two  reasons,  —  either 
they  were  too  large  (when  I  use  bread  instead  of  cracker 
I  sift  them),  or  the  fat  had  not  been  hot  enough  ;  two 
or  three  large  crumbs  would  spoil  the  whole,  for  they 
would  fall  off,  bring  others  with  them,  and  leave  bare 
pale  spots." 

As  she  made  the  explanation  she  had  worked  over 
the  bread,  which  bad  risen  to  twice  its  first  bulk,  and  put 
it  into  a  tin  pan,  and  set  it  to  rise  again.  "  That  will 
only  make  one  nice  loaf,  but  it  is  as  much  as  we  shall  eat 
while  fresh.  Now,  while  my  hands  are  in  flour,  I  will 
make  a  plain  cake,  and  while  it  is  baking,  Marta,  you 
and  I  will  go  up-stairs  to  the  bedrooms.  But  first  look 
well  at  the  bread  in  the  pan  ;  you  see  it  is  barely  half 
full ;  I  worked  it  thoroughly,  so  that  it  has  again  to  rise  ; 
when  it  is  twice  the  size  it  now  is  it  will  be  ready  for 
the  oven." 

She  got  for  her  cake  two  eggs,  half  a  cup  of  butter, 
one  of  sugar,  and  a  cup  and  a  half  of  flour,  a  lemon, 
a  nutmeg,  and  a  tea-spoonful  of  baking-powder.  Re- 
membering she  would  need  them,  she  had  brought  half 
a  dozen  of  lemons  and  an  ounce  of  nutmegs  in  with 
her.  She  set  Marta  to  cream  the  butter  and  sugar, 
while  she  separated  the  yolks  of  the  eggs  and  beat 
the  whites  till  they  were  quite  firm. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH,  39 

"This  is  only  a  plain  'one,  two,  three,  four'  cake, 
Marta,  but  it  will  be  made  nicer  by  the  flavoring.,  When 
you  know  how  to  make  this  cake,  always  remember  to 
vary  the  flavor,  and  the  cake  will  seem  much  better  than 
ordinary  cup  cake;  sometimes  you  can  add,  the  last 
thing,  a  cup  of  candied  lemon  and  orange  peel,  cut  fine, 
—  I  will  show  you  how  to  candy  them  when  we  have 
collected  enough,  —  or  a  cup  of  currants  ;  either  of  these 
must  be  made  warm,  flour  shaken  through  them,  and  tlie 
cake  stirred  only  just  enough,  after  they  are  in,  to  mix 
them,  or  they  will  all  go  to  the  bottom.  This  cake  we 
will  flavor  with  lemon  and  nutmes^.  Mix  the  two  yolks 
now  with  the  butter  and  sugar,  grate  half  the  nutmeg, 
besinnins:  at  the  blossom  end  or  there  will  be  a  hole  all 
through  it;  when  you  see  that,  always  turn  the  nutmeg, 
begin  at  the  other  end,  and  there  will  be  no  hole ;  then 
grate  the  peel  of  the  lemon  to  them,  add  a  quarter  tea- 
spoonful  of  salt,  and  mix  all  together ;  now  sift  in  part 
of  the  flour  with  the  baking-powder,  then  part  of  this 
cup  of  milk,  now  more  flour,  and  the  rest  of  the  milk ; 
the  batter  is  rather  stiff  as  yet,  but  the  whites  of  the 
eggs  will  thin  it  enough,  —  they  are  the  last  to  go  in." 

Molly  buttered  a  cake-pan,  and  the  mixture,  a  thickish 
batter,  was  poured  in,  and  then  powdered  sugar  was 
sifted  over  and  the  cake  put  in  the  oven. 

"  The  oven  is  nice  and  hot.  I  like  to  cover  a  cake 
the  first  half  hour,  so  I  will  put  this  pie-pan  over  the 
top  ;  another  time  I  will  have  a  piece  of  card-board  ready 
and  keep  it  for  the  purpose.  Remember,  if  you  want 
to  make  this  cake  when  we  are  short  of  butter,  you  can 
use  half  lard.  Now  look  at  the  bread  ;  it  will  be  ready 
in  about  twenty  minutes,  and  the  oven  will  be  just  nice 
for  it.     Meanwhile  we  will  go  upstairs." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Oysters  on  the  Half  Shell. 

Porterhouse  Steak.  Ragout  of  Lamb> 

Stuffed  Potatoes.         Lima  Beans, 

Cheese   Canapees. 

Lemon  Pie, 

WHAT    "  SIMMERING  "    MEANS. 

Molly  congratulated  herself  on  her  unusual  good 
fortune  in  securing  such  a  girl  as  Marta,  when  she  saw, 
in  initiating  her  into  the  bedroom  woik,  how  well  she  did 
it.  But  she  was  not  to  be  without  her  trials,  even  with 
this  treasure,  any  more  than  every  other  housekeeper. 
When  she  knew,  by  the  time,  that  the  bread  was  ready, 
being  deep  in  the  draping  of  some  chintz  she  had  had  in 
their  city  room,  she  told  Marta  to  run  down  and  put  it 
in  the  oven,  and  to  take  the  cover  off  the  cake,  but  on 
no  account  to  move  or  shake  it,  as  the  bread  would  go 
in  on  the  other  side  of  it. 

Marta  ran  down,  if  the  term  can  be  applied  to  the 
lumbering  movement  with  which  she  hurled  herself 
down -stairs.  Molly  heard  her  carrying  out  her  order, 
and  then  she  heaid  a  sound  that  elicited  an  exclamation 
of  annoyance.  It  was  the  souiad  of  the  oven  door  closing 
with  a  tremendous  bang. 

"•  My  poor  cake  !  how  vexatious  ! "  For  a  moment 
vexation  impelled  her  to  scold  Marta,  but  if  Molly  was 
one  thing  more  than  another,  she  was  reasonable.  Her 
blame  was  for  herself  more  than  for  the  girl.  "  How 
could  she  know  ?  I  must  give  her  a  general  caution ; 
I  suppose  the  cake  is  gone  utterly." 

It  was.  She  met  Marta  returning  to  her  up-stairs 
work  smiling  serenely. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  41 

"Marta,  1  want  you  to  come  and  look  at  the  result  of 
banging  the  oven  door  in  that  way  when  cake  is  in  the 
oven,  —  and  you  must  remember,  too,  never  to  set  a  pot 
heavily  on  the  range ;  when  a  cake  has  once  risen,  until 
quite  done,  any  sudden  jar  will  cause  it  to  settle  down. 
Look  at  this  ;  you  see  the  cake  is  all  sunken." 

Marta  stood,  the  picture  of  concern,  her  teeth  pressed 
tight  over  her  under  lip. 

"Never  mind,  we'll  look  on  the  cake  as  a  lesson; 
to-morrow  you  must  make  another  as  you  saw  me  do 
this.  Go  and  finish  up-stairs,  and  I  think,  as  we  have 
no  cake  to-day,  I  will  make  a  pie  for  dinner.  When 
you  come  down  you  will  see  me  make  the  paste,  as  every- 
thing I  do  I  hope  you  will  do  later." 

When  Marta  came  down  Molly  weighed  out  six  ounces 
of  butter  and  eight  ounces  of  flour  —  the  butter  was 
straight  from  the  ice-box  and  very  firm  ;  these  she  put 
together  in  a  chopping-bowl  with  a  pinch  of  salt,  opened 
the  window  to  let  in  the  cool  air,  and  then  chopped  but- 
ter and  flour  together,  but  not  very  fine,  the  butter  still 
remaining  in  well-defined  bits,  some  as  large  as  white 
beans,  when  she  left  off.  Making  a  hole  in  the  centre, 
she  poured  in  a  small  half  cup  of  ice-water,  and  made  it, 
with  as  little  pressure  as  possible,  into  a  firm  dough.  A 
few  bits  of  butter  and  flour  fell  from  it,  but  she  did  not 
stay  to  work  them  in  smoothly,  explaining  to  Marta,  as 
she  turned  all  out  on  to  the  pastry-board,  that  they 
would  roll  in  smooth,  and  the  less  handling  the  pastry 
had  the  better.  She  rolled  it  out  half  an  inch  thick, 
folded  it  in  three,  putting  any  little  flakes  of  butter  that 
might  be  on  the  board  upon  it,  and  rolled  it  out  again. 
(This  was  done  as  quickly  as  possible,  so  that  the  warm  air 
of  the  kitchen  might  not  soften  the  butter.)  She  dredged 
very  little  flour  on  it,  and  folded  it  again  in  three,  rolled 
it  again,  and  then  once  more  folded  and  rolled  it,  making 
three  times  in  all. 

"  Now,  if  I  were  in  a  hurry,  I  should  use  the  pastry 
at  once,  as  it  is  ready,  but  it  will  be  so  much  lighter  and 
better  by  being  put  on  the  ice  that  I  shall  leave  it  till  I 


42  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 

come  out  to  see  to  the  dinner.  •  I  will  have  cold  lamb 
and  salad  for  my  lunch, —  you  know  how  to  prepare  the 
lettuce."  And  Molly  left  the  kitchen,  knowing  she  had 
now  some  hours  in  which  she  could  attend  to  getting 
things  into  place,  etc. 

Hardly  was  her  luncheon  cleared  away,  however, 
when  Marta  brought  in  a  card,  saying  a  lady  had  given 
it  to  her,  but  she  did  n't  know  what  she  wanted.  It  bore 
the  name  of  Mrs.  Merit,  and  realizing  that  the  visitor 
was  left  standing  at  the  front  door,  Molly  hurried  out 
to  receive  her.  She  apologized  for  Marta's  keeping  her 
there. 

*'  Don't  mention  it.  This  is  a  very  early  call ;  but 
cominor  into  a  furnished  house  is  so  different  from  an 
empty  one,  —  you  get  settled  in  a  few  hours  ;  besides,  I 
knew  this  was  your  first  experience  of  housekeeping,  and 
if  one  wants  to  be  of  real  use  it  is  of  no  use  to  leave  it 
till  your  difficulties  are  over." 

The  lady  had  followed  Molly  into  the  parlor  as  she 
spoke,  and  seated  herself  in  the  rocking-chair. 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  said  Molly,  thinking  how 
very  friendly  it  was. 

"  I  mean  to  be  kind,  my  dear.  I  know  the  difficulties 
of  inexperienced  young  housekeepers,  and  I  want  you  to 
know  that  your  nearest  neighbor  is  ready  to  run  right  in 
any  time  you  want,  and  if  there  's  anything  I  can  tell 
you,  why,  you  know  where  to  come." 

"  Thank  you  very  much  indeed,"  said  Molly  grate- 
fully ;  "I  shall  not  forget." 

The  conversation  now  drifted  off  into  talk  about 
Greenfield,  and  Molly  learned  the  names  of  most  of  her 
near  neighbors,  and,  it  must  be  confessed,  more  of  their 
peculiarities  than  ^le  cared  to  hear. 

*'I'm  your  nearest  neighbor  on  this  side  the  street, 
but  there 's  poor  Mrs.  Lennox  right  opposite,  poor  thing ! 
I  'm  glad  she  's  got  some  one  to  take  Mrs.  "VVinfield's 
place  to  her.  She  was  a  real  good  neighbor,  and  when 
one's  life  's  as  hard  as  hers,  a  friendly  neighbor  is  a 
good  deal." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  43 

Molly  did  not  ask  why  Mrs.  Lennox  was  qualified  by 
the  adjective  "  poor"  nor  why  her  life  was  hard.  She 
began  to  recognize  in  Mrs.  Merit  a  type  of  good-hearted 
women  given,  over-much  to  interesting  themselves  in 
other  people's  affairs.  Mrs.  3Ierit  rocked  serenely  on, 
however,  and  proceeded  to  question  Molly  on  her  knowl- 
edge of  housekeeping  and  to  give  some  strong  hints  on 
economy. 

"  You  see,  my  dear,  young  people  start  off  with  an 
idea  of  style,  and  it  takes  them  some  time  to  find  out 
the  best  and  cheapest  way  of  doing  things,  and  there 's 
receipts  1  've  got  that  I  've  altered  and  changed  so  's 
they  don't  cost  half,  and  taste,  to  my  thinking,  just  as 
well,  and  no  danger  of  dyspepsia,  and  I  'd  be  glad  to 
send  you  over  my  written  book." 

Again  Molly  thanked  her,  and  promised  to  avail  her- 
self of  the  book. 

"Yes,  and  you  '11  find  your  money  goes  a  deal  further; 
my  receipts  don't  call  -for  eggs  and  butter  as  if  they 
grew  out  on  the  bushes." 

"  Well,  you  see,"  said  Molly  timidly,  "  we  need  so  lit- 
tle of  anything  that  even  a  recipe  which  calls  for  what 
seems  many  eggs  or  much  butter  can  generally  be  divided 
by  four  for  us,  and  the  four  eggs  or  half  pound  of  butter 
become  only  one  egg  and  two  ounces  of  butter ;  so  we 
can  have  the  good  things  and  still  spend  little." 

'^^  Bat  then  you  have  so  little  of  it,  and  it  wastes  time 
to  make  things  in  small  quantities." 

"Yes,  but  my  time  is  not  valuable,  and  besides  it 
would  be  no  economy  for  me  to  make  things  too  plain, 
for  we  might  not  eat  them  at  all ;  and  the  same  would 
happen  if  1  made  much  at  a  time  of  anything,  —  it  would 
not  be  eaten  up.     Mr.  Bishop  likes  variet3\" 

*'  Well,  1  believe  in  husbands'  liking  food  that 's  accord- 
ing to  their  means,  and  not  in  young  women  wearing 
their  lives  out  cooking  for  them.  Mr.  Merit  was  always 
satisfied  with  a  plain,  wholesome  dinner,  and  that  I  took 
care  he  had." 

Mrs.  Merit's  words  were  verging  on  the  unpleasant, 


44  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

but  her  manner  was  so  unconscious  that  Molly  felt  sure 
only  kindness  was  meant ;  she  was  simply  instructing 
the  young  and  inexperienced  wife. 

"  Now  there 's  poor  Mrs.  Lennox,  she  's  got  four  chil- 
dren, and  her  husband  is  as  poor  as  a  church  mouse,  and 
as  pernickety  about  his  eating  —  nothing  she  can  get  is 
good  enough  for  him  ;  and  the  way  she  manages  to  make 
both  ends  meet,  and  to  dress  them  children  as  nice  as  any, 
is  a  wonder  to  every  one,  though,  poor  thing,  she  is 
wearing  herself  out." 

Shortly  after,  finding  Molly  was  not  curious  about 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lennox,  Mrs.  Merit  protested  that  she 
was  paying  an  unwarrantably  long  visit,  rose  and  left, 
saying,  as  she  did  so,  "  You  won't  be  lonely  long,  you 
are  not  like  strangers  ;  being  such  friends  of  Mrs.  Win- 
field,  every  one  will  make  a  point  of  calling  very  soon." 

Molly  noticed,  as  she  returned  to  the  parlor,  that 
Mrs.  Merit  was  standing  at  the  door  of  the  house  she 
had  pointed  out  as  Mrs.  Lennox's ;  doubtless  she  had 
gone  to  report  her  visit. 

Molly  went  from  her  visitor  to  the  kitchen.  She  had 
ordered  in  the  morning  a  porterhouse  steak  and  a  dozen 
oysters  on  the  half  shell.  As  the  butcher  was  also  fish- 
monger, he  had  no  objection  to  send  so  few,  and  she 
had  impressed  on  him  that  both  were  to  be  sent  after 
five,  and  the  oysters  opened  at  the  house.  She  now 
told  Marta,  when  they  should  come,  to  put  the  oys- 
ters into  the  ice-box  at  once,  and  went  to  assure  herself 
that  the  fire  was  made  up  and  would  be  ready  by  five 
o'clock  to  cook.  She  found,  as  she  had  feared,  that 
Marta  had  forgotten,  and  the  fire  was  at  that  stage  of 
intense  bi'ightness  which  gives  place  to  a  mass  of  dead 
white  ash  a  little  later,  but  would  quickly  burn  up  with 
fresh  fuel. 

*'  How  fortunate  I  came  out,  Marta;  red  as  this  fire 
is,  in  half  an  hour  it  would  have  been  near  out.  Put  a 
little  coal  on ;  when  it  is  lighted  well,  not  before,  you 
can  rake  out  the  ashes  and  put  on  more  coal,  but  not 
too  much."     As  she  spoke  she  opened  all  the  drafts. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  45 

She  meant  to  have  a  ragout  of  the  rougher  part  of  the 
Iamb  —  the  neck  piece  —  as  a  second  dish  ;  if  Harry  did 
not  care  for  it  at  dinner,  it  would  make  a  very  savory 
one  for  breakfast.  She  cut  it  up  into  neat  pieces ; 
there  was  about  a  pound  and  a  half  of  meat,  very  lean, 
and,  properly  treated,  the  tenderest  in  the  whole  sheep. 

"  If  I  had  to  pay  the  same  for  this  part  of  the  lamb  as 
for  the  loin,  I  should  still  prefer  it  for  boiling  and  stew- 
ing," she  said  to  Marta,  "  but  so  few  people  will  believe 
it.  Get  me  one  onion  and  a  carrot,  and  prepare  them. 
I  wish  I  had  some  canned  peas,  they  would  be  such  an 
addition  ;  but  I  have  not  half  the  little  things  in  store  yet 
that  I  need." 

Molly  was  making  this  ragout,  not  that  it  was  needed 
for  dinner  so  much,  although  it  made  variety  and  a  bet- 
ter-seeminfj  table,  but  her  chief  thought  was  for  the  break- 
fast.  Having  the  vegetables  prepared,  and  the  range 
being  by  this  time  hot  on  the  top,  she  put  a  spider,  con- 
taining a  table-spoonful  of  butter  and  one  of  fiour,  on  the 
stove,  and  told  Marta  to  stir  slowly  till  the  flour  and  but- 
ter were  pale  brown,  while  she  tied  six  sprigs  of  parsley 
and  half  a  bay  leaf  together.  When  the  flour  and  but- 
ter formed  a  smooth  brownish  paste,  or  roux,  as  the 
cooking-books  call  it,  the  carrots  and  onions,  cut  small, 
aod  the  meat  were  added,  with  a  half  salt-spoonful  of 
pepper,  three  level  salt-spoonfuls  of  salt,  and  a  tea-spoon- 
ful of  vinegar.  These  were  all  stirred  round,  and  a 
close  cover  put  on. 

'*  Now  these  have  to  be  stirred  every  minute  or  so,  to 
prevent  burning,  till  brown,  and  while  the  ragout  is 
cooking  I  will  make  a  lemon  pie.  I  have  written  the 
recipe,  Marta,  as  I  shall  do  all  for  the  future,  and  you 
will  keep  the  book  in  the  kitchen.  I  will  read  it  over 
to  you." 

The  recipe  was,  of  course,  written  in  German.  Molly 
had  not  been  able  to  do  it  without  help  from  the  diction- 
ary, but  she  remembered  that  she  was  improving  her 
German,  which,  indeed,  was  one  of  her  reasons  for  tak- 
ing a  German  gii:l,  the  compulsory  practice  would  be  so 
good  for  herself. 


46  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"Half  a  cup  of  fine  bread  crumbs,  just  enough  milk 
to  swell  them,  two  eggs,  three  table-spoonfuls  of  sugar, 
two  of  butter,  the  juice  of  one  lemon,  the  grated  rinds  of 
two.  Beat  sugar  and  butter  to  a  ci-eam,  then  the  eggs 
and  lemon  juice,  and  last  the  bread  and  milk.  You  can 
make  the  mixture  while  I  roll  the  paste  and  get  the  pie 
ready,  but  first  I  'm  going  to  knock  a  few  holes  in  this 
tin  pie-plate,  so  that  the  crust  may  be  light  at  the 
bottom." 

She  took  a  small  nail  and  hammer,  and  with  it  perfor- 
ated the  pie-plate  till  it  looked  like  a  colander.  The. 
paste  was  firm  and  hard,  and  Molly  rolled  it  out  with 
perfect  ease,  the  third  of  an  inch  thick,  without  its  once 
sticking  to  the  board,  which  was  lightly  floured.  She 
laid  the  pie-plate  on  it,  and  cut  a  circle  a  little  larger 
than  the  tin  to  allow  for  the  depth.  Every  touch  she 
made  was  quick  and  light,  just  as  if  the  paste  were  tulle 
or  white  satin.  She  turned  the  plate  over,  laid  the  paste 
on  it,  and  pressed  it  only  on  the  bottom,  never  touching  the 
edges.  She  cut  a  little  piece  and  put  it  in  the  oven  to 
try  it.  Then  she  cut  two  long  strips  of  paste,  about  an 
inch  wide,  and  laid  them  lightly  around  the  pie,  so  as  to 
make  the  edge  twice  the  thickness  of  the  bottom ;  she 
gently  pressed  i\\Q  lower  e(\ge  of  this  strip  to  make  it  ad- 
here to  the  pie,  and  then  poured  in  the  lemon  mixture. 

"  Mr.  Bishop  does  n't  like  meringue,  or  I  would  have 
kept  out  the  two  whites  of  eggs,  to  make  it,"  said  Molly, 
as  she  took  out  the  little  "  trier"  she  had  in  the  oven. 

It  had  risen  a  full  inch,  and  "  the  separate  flakes  could 
be  counted  ! "  Marta  exclaimed,  as  she  saw  it.  Her  in- 
telligence only  seemed  to  rouse  when  she  saw  something 
out  of  the  ordinary  routine  of  cooking,  because,  as  Molly 
afterwards  found,  her  ideal  of  cooking  was  what  the  man 
cook  at  the  restaurant  in  Germany  could  do ;  she  never 
expected  to  see  a  lady  do  them,  and  he  had  made  puflf 
paste  just  like  this,  and  it  seemed  magic  to  her. 

"  And  if  she  had  never  lived  at  the  restaurant  she  would 
not  have  had  intellis^ence  enou£:h  to  know  what  to  ad- 
mire.     It  is  the  old  story, —  to  those  who  know  nothing 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH,  47 

of  art,  a  gay  chromo  is  better  than  a  fine  painting,"  said 
Molly,  when  she  told  Harry,  who  broke  into  good-natured 
lauojhter. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  Molly,  you  iire  too  delicious  in  your 
enthusiasm  !  What  would  our  artists  say  to  such  a  com- 
parison ?  " 

Molly  joined  in  the  laugh.  "  It  sounds  absurd,  but 
the  principle  is  the  same.  The  poor  girls  who  have  no 
experience  of  good  cooking  or  refined  living  can't  be 
expected  to  appreciate  it." 

But  this  was  in  the  evening,  and  we  are  digressing 
from  the  dinner. 

By  the  time  the  pie  was  in  the  oven,  the  lamb  had 
been  twenty  minutes  in  the  spider,  —  Marta  occasionally 
stirring  it  about.  Two  thirds  of  a  pint  of  hot  water  was 
now  added  (it  left  plenty  of  gravy  around  the  meat,  yet 
did  not  cover  it),  the  parsley  was  put  in,  and  the  spider 
closely  covered  and  set  where  it  would  just  simmer,  as 
the  success  of  the  dish  depended  on  its  simmering,  and 
not  boiling.  Molly  waited  to  see  it  come  to  the  boiling- 
point. 

"  Now,  Marta,  remember  that  to  simmer  means  this," 
she  said,  pointing  out  the  gentlest  little  sizzling  round 
the  edge  of  the  pan.  "  Perhaps  you  hardly  think  it  is 
cooking  at  all,  but  that  scarcely  percei)tible  motion  is 
what  I  mean  when  I  say,  'let  it  simmer;'  faster  than 
that  would  be  boiling.  You  must  understand  these  dis- 
tinctions if  ever  you  hope  to  make  a  good  cook.  We  are 
going  to  have  Lima  beans,  and  stuffed  potatoes,  and 
cheese  canapees  —  to  use  up  the  baker's  bread  —  and, 
as  I  do  not  mean  to  be  in  the  kitchen  to-night  except 
just  as  you  broil  the  steak,  I  will  get  everything  ready 
now." 

So  saying,  she  cut  slices  of  bread  half  an  inch  thick, 
then,  with  a  large  round  cutter,  cut  ch-cles  ;  these  she 
cut  in  half —  they  were  not  the  true  crescent  shape  that 
canapees  should  be,  but  they  would  answer ;  then  she 
put  a  table-spoonful  of  butter  in  a  small  saucepan  (using 
a  saucepan,  because  to  fry,  or  rather  sauter,  so  little,  the 


48  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

butter  required  would  be  twice  as.  much  if  it  had  to  go 
over  the  large  space  of  a  frying-pan),  and  then  she  fried 
four  of  the  canapees  a  very  ligiit  brown.  When  done 
she  took  them  up,  and  grated  about  an  ounce  of  cheese, 
and  setting  the  canapees  on  a  small  tin  ready  for  the 
oven,  she  heaped  the  grated  cheese  on  them,  then 
sprinkled  on  them  a  little  pepper  and  salt. 

"  Marta,  those  are  ready,  but  need  not  go  into  the 
oven  till  I  tell  you.  At  five  you  wash  four  large  pota- 
toes and  put  them  into  the  oven  ;  at  a  quarter  past  you 
can  put  the  Lima  beans  into  a  saucepan  of  boiling 
water,  with  two  tea-spoonfuls  of  salt  and  one  of  sugar  ; 
let  them  come  quickly  to  the  boil  again." 

Molly  took  the  pie  out  of  the  oven.  It  was  beauti- 
fully brown,  and  the  edge,  half  an  inch  thick  when  it 
went  into  the  oven,  was  now  more  than  double,  and 
more  flaky  than  real  puff  paste,  as  generally  made. 

"  Now,  Marta,  I  '11  leave  you  to  set  the  table  quite  alone 
to-night,  and  to  do  everything  by  yourself,  except  broil  the 
steak,  which  I  have  not  yet  shown  you  how  to  do,  and  to 
dress  the  vegetables.  Chop  ready  for  me  two  table-spoou- 
fuls  of  parsley  and  one  slice  of  onion  very  fine." 

Molly  had  to  congratulate  herself  on  having  gotten 
so  far  forward  with  the  dinner,  for  just  as  she  was  leav- 
ing the  kitchen  Mrs.  Lennox  came. 

"  Mrs.  Merit  told  me  you  were  settled  and  ready  to 
see  your  neighbors,  so  I  would  not  delay  coming 
over.  I  have  not  the  same  good  excuse  as  she  has  for 
so  early  a  visit,  for,  beyond  good  feeling,  I  cannot  be  of 
any  use  to  any  one,  my  hands  are  so  completely  tied 
with  my  family ;  but  you  are  Mrs.  Winfield's  friend, 
and  you  seem  no  stranger  to  me." 

"  But  no  excuse  is  needed,"  said  Molly.  "  I  think  it 
exceedinijlv  kind." 

Mrs.  Lennox  was  a  very  nervous-looking  woman,  who 
had  once  been  very  pretty,  and  was  still  young  enough 
to  be  so.  When  they  had  talked  a  little  while,  it 
proved  that  one  of  Molly's 'dear  friends  had  been  a 
school-fellow  of  Mrs.  Lennox.     This  made  them  quite 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  49 

intimate  in  a  few  minutes,  and  Molly  found  herself  talk- 
ing freely  of  her  hopes  and  plans. 

"  Oh  !  but  how  could  you  have  the  courage  to  keep 
house,  when  you  had  no  family  to  make  boarding  impos- 
sible ?  " 

"  But  it  needed  more  courage  to  go  on  boarding,  I 
think,"  laughed  Molly. 

"  Oh !  wait  a  bit,  till  your  servant  goes  off  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice,  just  as  you  have  company  to  dinner  ;  or 
till  your  husband  begins  to  criticise  the  food,  or — if 
you  are  too  newly  married  for  that  —  till  you  see  him 
look  at  the  table  in  despair,  and  sit  down  and  eat  as  if 
it  were  all  chaff,  —  those  are  the  things  that  will  make 
you  long  to  give  it  all  up." 

"  But,"  said  Molly  gravely,  for  that  bitter  phrase,  "  if 
you  are  too  newly  married  for  that,"  shocked  her,  "  I 
don't  think,  if  girls  served  me  so  half  a  dozen  times  a 
year,  it  would  be  more  than  a  temporary  annoyance, 
while  to  board  is  a  daily  and  hourly  discomfort ;  as  for 
my  husband,  I  shall  try  at  least  to  give  him  as  good 
food  as  we  had  while  boardinc^." 

"  Yes,  as  good  food,  but  it  is  the  variety ;  on  small 
means  it  is  impossible  to  have  it.  You  smile !  it  is  all 
smooth  sailing  for  you  yet,  but  I  assure  you  the  first 
time  you  find  yourself  without  a  girl  you  '11  realize  what 
I  mean;  but  it  is  beautiful  to  see  your  enthusiasm,  and 
recalls  my  own  early  married  life." 

She  sighed ;  Molly  pretended  not  to  hear  her,  al- 
though she  was  full  of  sympathy  for  her  weary  looks ; 
she  laughed  lightly  and  said,  "  Well,  I  don't  believe  1 
should  be  in  despair  to  find  myself  without  a  maid  !  It 
would  worry  Mr.  Bishop  for  my  sake,  but  not  me." 

"  That 's  all  very  well  in  theory,  but  when  it  comes  to 
having  the  breakfast  to  get,  the  fires  to  light,  and  you 
find  the  bread  won't  rise,  and  nothing  goes  as  it  ought 
to  go,  you  '11  be  inclined  to  sit  down  and  cry." 

"  But  I  think  things  would  go  better  than  that.  I  am 
so  fond  of  cooking  that  I  shall  practice  a  good  deal,  so 
that,  if  I  find  myself  deserted,  we  shall  not  feel  the  loss 
beyond  less  leisure  for  me." 


50  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  You  are  fond  of  cookinsj —  that's  different!  I  hate 
it,  but  then  that 's  because  1  have  it  to  do,  I  suppose,  for, 
though  I  sympathized  with  you  in  advance  in  case  you 
are  left  without,  I  never  have  a  servant ;  and  as  I  have 
four  children,  and  make  all  their  clothes  and  my  own, 
you  may  suppose  I  have  no  time  to  spend  over  the  fire. 
We  are  obliged  to  live  very  plainly,  and  if  I  can  man- 
age to  get  the  food  on  the  table  in  an  eatable  form, 
that 's  all  I  try  for.  I  tell  you  this  now  because,  if,  as 
I  hope,  we  should  become  more  than  formal  acquaint- 
ances, you  will  know  what  to  expect  at  my  house." 

There  was  a  pained  look  in  the  weary  face,  as  if  the 
saying  had  not  been  pleasant,  and  Molly's  heart  ached 
at  the  sad  picture  of  toil  her  words  conjured  up.  And 
yet,  after  she  had  left,  Molly  remembered  the  dress  of 
cheap  material,  but  trimmed  to  excess,  and  thought  of 
the  weary  hours  it  had  taken  to  make,  and  wondered 
why  she  did  it. 

Molly,  when  again  alone,  hesitated  what  to  do.  She 
knew  of  several  bits  of  sewing  she  had  to  do  for  the 
house,  but  she  was  a  little  tired ;  and  besides,  after  a 
week  or  two  Marta  would  not  need  her  so  much  in  the 
kitchen  — or,  at  least,  she  hoped  not ;  meanwhile,  the  new 
"  Century  "  was  on  the  table,  and  she  took  it  up  to  read 
till  it  became  necessary  for  her  to  go  and  direct  Marta. 

Molly  had  had  a  hint  or  two  from  her  two  visitors 
that  they  considered  she  would  be  making  rather  a  slave 
of  herself,  but  she  had  no  such  intention ;  she  did  not 
think  it  harder  work  to  be  in  the  kitchen  than  at  the 
sewing-machine.  At  half  past  five  she  went  to  see  if 
the  table  was  neatly  laid,  and  made  a  few  changes,  call- 
ing Marta's  attention  to  them ;  then  went  into  the 
kitchen,  and  found  the  parsley  and  onion  not  neai  ly  fine 
enough ;  these  she  chopped  over,  and  by  that  time  the 
potatoes  and  Lima  beans  were  done. 

"  Pour  the  water  off  the  beans,  Marta,  then  dress 
them  just  as  you  did  the  cabbage  last  night;  stir  them 
well  around,  and  move  them  to  a  part  of  the  range 
where  they  will  just  simmer.     When  you  have  done  it, 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  51 

you  can  put  the  oysters  on  the  table,  six  on  each  plate, 
the  points  to  the  centre,  with  a  quarter  of  a  lemon  in 
the  middle  of  each." 

While  she  was  speaking,  Molly  had  put  a  little  milk 
on  to  boil,  and  cut  the  tops  from  the  potatoes,  and  hold- 
ing them  in  a  cloth,  scooped  out  the  inside  with  a  spoon, 
into  a  bowl  which  she  had  made  hot,  without  breaking 
the  skin ;  when  the  potato  was  all  out,  she  added  to  it 
a  table-spoonful  of  butter  and  the  parsley  and  onion, 
moistening  the  whole  witli  hot  milk,  and  then  with  a 
fork  she  beat  it  rapidly  back  and  forth  till  very  white 
and  light ;  then  she  seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper  to 
taste,  and  filled  the  skins,  which  she  had  put  to  keep 
hot  again,  and  set  them  in  the  oven.  The  milk  being 
boiling  and  the  process  quick,  they  had  not  had  time  to 
cool  much. 

"  Now,  Marta,  heat  the  gridiron  and  put  your  dishes 
to  get  hot ;  then  put  the  steak  on,  open  all  the  drafts 
that  the  smoke  may  go  up." 

The  fire  was  clear  and  not  too  high,  and  she  watched 
while  Marta  broiled  it,  directing  her  to  turn  the  steak 
frequently. 

*'  Keep  the  gridiron  tilted  from  you,  so  that  the  grease 
runs  to  the  back  of  the  stove,  and  don't  be  frightened  at 
its  flaring ;  better  it  should  flare  than  smoke  ;  it  is  the 
smoke,  not  the  flame,  that  blackens  the  steak." 

When  it  had  broiled  eis^ht  minutes  it  was  to  be  laid 
on  a  hot  dish,  with  a  lump  of  butter  on  it,  and  liberally 
seasoned  with  pepper  and  salt.  But  as  Molly  heard 
Harry  come  in,  she  left  the  butter  and  seasoning  ready 
and  went  to  him,  trusting  Marta  to  bring  the  dinner  to 
table,  telling  her,  as  she  left  the  kitchen,  to  put  the 
cheese  canapees  in  the  oven,  on  the  upper  shelf.  They 
would  be  brown  by  the  time  they  had  finished  the  meat. 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

MOLLY   AND    MRS.    LENNOX ECONOMICAL    BUYING 

MAKES    GOOD    LIVING. 

A  WEEK  passed,  and  Molly  found  her  ten  dollars 
left  a  narrow  margin,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  account 
she  triumphantly  showed  to  Harry,  and  the  week's 
bills  of  fare,  which  she  wrote  out  neatly,  appending 
every  recipe,  and  which,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
may  wish  to  do  likewise,  I  will  give  in  its  place ;  but 
before  that  week  was  over,  Molly  was  revolving  other 
problems.  She  had  seen  Mrs.  Lennox  again,  and  Harry 
was  delighted  with  Mr.  Lennox,  who  traveled  on  the 
same  train  with  him,  and  in  answer  to  Molly's  remarks 
on  the  hard  life  his  wife  led,  he  maintained  that  his  pity 
was  for  the  husband. 

"  I  can  picture  to  myself  that  household,  Molly,  and 
the  scrambling  meals  that  man  gets.  Why,  he  was  as- 
tounded when  I  told  him  we  lived  just  as  well  as  I  want 
to  live,  and  what  we  had  to  live  on.  Yes,  dear,  I  fear 
I  did  boast  to  the  poor  fellow  of  the  charming  little  din- 
ners you  got  up,  and  asked  if  he  knew  any  one  who 
could  beat  that  ?     He  said  :  — 

"  '  Well,  I  wish  Mrs.  Bishop  would  teach  my  wife  how 
to  put  some  flavor  into  what  we  eat.  Our  means  are 
narrow,  but  I  do  know  that  if  Letty  knew  how  to  cook, 
we  should  all  be  better,  and  she  herself.  We  can't  ex- 
pect fancy  dishes  —  our  family  is  too  large  and  our 
means  too  small  for  that  —  but  even  Irish  stew  may 
taste  of  something  besides  onions  and  hot  water.' 

"  I  should  think  it  could  ;  nothing  I  enjoy  better  than 
Irish  stew.  However,  I  did  n't  crow  any  more  over 
poor  Lennox,  but  you  need  n't  give  all  your  pity  to 
Mrs.  Lennox." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  53 

Already  Molly  had  decided  in  her  own  mind  that 
Mrs.  Lennox  was  making  a  great  mistake  in  the  way  she 
had  chosen  for  doing  her  duty  to  her  family,  and  that  the 
weary  days  spent  at  the  sewing-machine  might  be  partly 
spent  in  the  kitchen  with  advantage  to  her  own  health 
and  her  children's.  She  longed  to  help  her,  but  dared 
not  take  the  liberty.  But  the  day  came  when  Mrs.  Len- 
nox herself  gave  the  opening.  They  met  in  the  street 
on  Saturday,  and  Molly  mentioned  that  she  was  on  her 
Avay  to  the  butcher's. 

"  I  see  you  go  every  morning  down  town,  but  it  is 
rare  for  me,  for  I  can't  spare  the  time,  so  I  have  to  trust 
to  what  the  butcher  sends.  You  see  we  live  so  plainly 
that  we  haven't  much  choice  —  it's  just  steak  and 
chops  and  roast  beef.  Mr.  Lennox  can't  bear  cold  mut- 
ton, so  we  never  get  a  joint  of  it." 

"  But  don't  you  think  the  morning  walk  would  do 
you  good  ?  I  believe  it  will  me  ;  and  then  I  have  some 
satisfaction  in  seeing  my  meat  before  I  buy  it,  although 
we  buy  very  little." 

Molly  was  terribly  afraid  of  seeming  didactic,  and 
spoke  in  a  rather  apologetic  way. 

"Yes,  but  you  have  n't  four  children,  my  dear;  how- 
ever, as  I  am  out,  I  will  go  with  you.  How  I  wish  you 
would  tell  me  what  to  get  in  place  of  chops  for  to-day 
and  a  roast  for  to-morrow  !  We  all  hate  them,  but  we 
can't  afford  poultry." 

"  I  hardly  like  to  suggest,  for  I  don't  know  your 
tastes;  but  if  I  wanted  to  live  cheaply,  —  forgive  me, 
you  have  given  me  reason  to  suppose  that  you  have  to 
be  economical "  — 

"  Economy  is  n't  the  word,  —  we  can  barely  make 
ends  meet,  and  I  work  myself  to  death  to  avoid  spending 
an  unnecessary  dime." 

"  I  know  you  do,  and  for  that  reason  I  would  like  to 
tell  you  a  few  things  I  learnt  in  France,  where  they 
make  a  franc  go  as  far  as  we  would  a  dollar,  and  yet 
live  well." 

"  Tell  it  me ;  but  for  goodness'  sake  don't  tell  me  that 


54  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

lentils  are  as  good  as  meat  —  we  abhor  lentils  —  or  that 
peas  and  beans  are  nitrogenous  ;  I  've  read  that  sort  of 
thing  till  I  'ra  sick ;  if  you  have  n't  the  appetite  of  a 
ploughman  you  can't  eat  things  because  they  contain 
nitrogen  any  more  than  you  can  live  on  medicine." 

"  1  'm  a  little  of  your  opinion,  but  I  mean  really  good 
living  that,  if  you  did  n't  know  the  cost,  would  seem  al- 
most luxurious.  It  is  simply  buying,  and  using  what 
you  buy,  judiciously." 

Mrs.  Lennox  smiled  a  little  incredulously,  but  said, 
courteously,  "  I  am  quite  open  to  conviction." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  pay  for  your  roast  of 
beef?" 

'•  It  will  be  at  least  $2,  for  it  is  of  no  use  getting  less 
than  eight  pounds ;  and  chops  for  to-day  will  be  about 
35  cents." 

"  And  how  long  will  the  roast  last  ?  " 

"  It  has  to  last  till  Tuesdav,  though  out  of  an  eight- 
pound  roast  there  is  n't  much  but  bone  and  fat  the  third 
day." 

"  And  you  have  then  something  extra  to  get  for 
breakfast?" 

She  laughed  a  little.  "  To  tell  the  truth,  our  break- 
fast is  slim  ;  I  can't  afford  meat,  and  Mr.  Lennox  usu- 
ally has  an  egg  or  two ;  he  never  cares,  fortunately,  for 
a  heavy  breakfast,  but  prefers  knick-knacks." 

"  This  is  the  sort  of  housekeeping  Harry  dreaded," 
thought  Molly,  but  she  said  aloud,  '•  Then  you  would 
really  spend  $2.35  this  morning  for  meat  to  last  till 
Tuesday  ?  " 

"  At  the  very  least,  but  more  likely  S2.75,  for  they 
could  hardl}^  cut  me  exactly  eight  pounds." 

"  Then  I  would  suggest  you  get,  instead  of  the  roast, 
either  a  leg  of  mutton  at  15  cents  a  pound,  or  a  piece 
of  beef  at  the  same  price  for  a  la  mode  beef ;  and  if  you 
choose  the  mutton,  then  you  will  have  a  really  nice  pot- 
pie  to-night  in  place  of  chops.  You  will  find  that  you 
will  buy  ten  pounds  of  meat  for  Si. 50,  and  then  you  can 
get  some  of  the  knick-knacks  Mr.  Lennox  likes  for 
breakfast." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  55 

"  But  he  won't  look  at  cold  muttoo,  or  Irish  stew 
made  of  it." 

"  No  ;  Irish  stexTneeds  fresh  meat,  and  cold  mutton 
is  not  appetizing  ;  but  I  propose  your  having  hot  mutton 
each  meal." 

"  But  that  will  make  so  much  cooking,  and  I  am 
alone  to  do  it  ! " 

"  I  know,"  said  Molly,  gently,  "  but  I  am  sure  that 
sewing-machine  is  half  killing  you  ;  can't  you  give  it  up 
for  an  hour  or  two  each  day  ?  " 

"  My  dear,  by  the  time  I  get  through  my  housework 
it  is  near  noon  ;  then  there  's  the  children's  dinner  to 
get  and  clear,  and  I  don't  get  to  sewing  till  after  one. 
Then  the  afternoon  and  evening  I  have  to  give  to  it ;  if 
I  could  go  and  buy  new  material  I  need  not  have  half 
the  work,  but  it  is  the  cutting  down,  making  over,  rip- 
ping, altering,  and  planning  that  wears  one  out." 

"Then  I  will  help  you,"  said  Molly.  "I  have  time, 
and  if  you  '11  promise  to  give  one  hour  to  the  kitchen, 
I  '11  sew  an  hour  with  you  and  cook  an  hour.  I  am  so 
sure  the  change  of  work  will  brighten  you  up." 

"  Heaven  knows  I  need  brightening  !  I  feel  a  perfect 
hag,  and  I'm  only  twenty-eight." 

"  Then  you  accept?  " 

*'  Yes,"  hesitating ;  "  yet  I  don't  know  why  I  can  al- 
low you  to  " — 

*'  Oh,  don't  say  one  word !  I  love  it.'* 

They  had  slackened  pace  in  their  earnest  talk,  but 
now  they  had  reached  the  butcher's. 

"  You  are  to  order  just  what  you  like,"  said  Mrs. 
Lennox. 

"I  will." 

Molly  chose  a  good-sized  leg  of  mutton,  weighing 
eight  pounds,  and  told  the  butcher  to  cut  it  nearly  in 
half,  leaving  the  large  part  for  the  loin  end  ;  and  a  pound 
and  half  of  round  steak.  She  ordered  also  half  a  pound 
of  beef  suet ;  then,  turning  to  Mrs.  Lennox,  she  asked 
if  Mr.  Lennox  was  fond  of  kidneys  for  breakfast  ? 

"  I  believe  he  is." 


1 


56  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 

Then  a  beef  kidney  was  added,  and  the  amount  spent 
was :  — 

Leg  of  mutton, $1.20 

Suet, 06 

Kidney, .10 

Steak, 24 


Total,         ....         Si. 60 

"  Well,  I  count  myself  nearly  a  dollar  in  pocket  so 
far,"  said  Mrs.  Lennox,  "  but  I  have  tried  buying  eco- 
nomical meats  before,  though  in  the  end  it  was  no  econ- 
omy, for  we  did  not  eat  it." 

*'  I  will  forgive  you  if  you  don't  eat  this,"  said  Molly, 
laughing ;  "  but  I  must  hurry  home ;  I  have  a  chicken 
pie  to  make  for  to-morrow's  dinner,  but  I  will  see  you 
later  in  the  day.  I  am  responsible,  you  know,  for  the 
meat  I  have  bought." 

Molly's  own  dinner  being  soup,  veal  cutlets,  potato 
croquettes,  Lima  beans,  and  apple  pudding,  and  the 
soup  ready,  all  but  heating  it,  she  meant  to  make  the 
pudding  and  prepare  the  croquettes,  and  leave  Marta  to 
her  own  resources  for  the  vegetables  and  breading  cut- 
lets, —  she,  herself,  would  be  back  in  time  to  see  the 
actual  cooking  of  her  own  meat.  But  of  her  own  cook- 
ing I  will  speak  in  the  next  chapter. 

At  three  o'clock,  then,  Molly  went  over  to  Mrs. 
Lennox,  whom  she  found  busy  feather-stitching  several 
yards  of  navy  blue  cashmere  ruffling  with  red  crewel. 

"  This  is  for  Milly's  fall  frock  ;  it  was  first  my  dress, 
then  Lily's,  now  it  comes  to  Milly,  and  the  red  will 
make  a  change." 

"  You  have  far  more  patience  than  I,"  said  Molly. 

"  Yes,  I  don't  know  what  I  should  do  without  it. 
Must  the  cooking  begin  now  ?  I  hate  to  lose  daylight." 

"•  Yes,  the  pot-pie  will  take  long,  slow  cooking  to  be 
good,  but  you  can  come  back  in  half  an  hour." 

*'  Oh  !  suppose  we  have  that  steak  fried  —  just  for  to- 
day ;  well  pounded  it  will  be  tender  enough.  I  hate  to 
leave  this." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  57 

"  I  will  go  down,  then,  if  you  will  let  one  of  the  little 
girls  show  me  where  you  keep  things." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  can't  let  you  !  "  said  Mrs.  Lennox.  "  But 
that  is  just  it ;  don't  you  see  yourself  I  have  no  time  to 
cook?" 

Molly  longed  to  say  that  it  seemed  as  important  to 
her  that  the  food  should  be  well  prepared  as  that  the 
flounce  should  be  feather-stitched,  but  of  course,  she  said 
nothing,  and  the  next  minute  they  were  down  in  Mrs. 
Lennox's  neat  kitchen. 

"  This  pot-pie  I  propose  making  is  an  English  dish 
my  father  was  very  fond  of,  and  it  is  a  little  different 
from  our  dish  of  that  name." 

"  This  is  very  kind  of  you,  Mrs.  Bishop.  I  only  fear 
you  will  see  what  an  up-hill  business  it  is  to  make  a 
family  live  well  on  very  little  money." 

"  What  do  you  call  little  ?  "  asked  Molly,  busily  cut- 
ting the  steak  into  finger-lengths. 

"  $80  a  month  to  keep  six  people,  and  out  of  it  $20 
for  rent ;  that  leaves  sixty  for  everything  else." 

Molly  thought  that  was  not  too  little  to  insure  a 
plain,  solid  comfort,  but  she  must  gain  Mrs.  Lennox's 
confidence  in  her  ability  and  good-will  before  telling 
her  so,  and  she  went  on  quietly  preparing  for  the  pot- 
pie. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BEEF   POT-PIE  LEG    OF    MUTTON  TWO     ROASTS 

SEVERAL    WHOLESOME    ECONOMICAL    DISHES. 

"When  Molly  had  Qut  the  steak  into  finger-lengths, 
she  floured  the  pieces  lightly,  and  put  an  iron  saucepan 
thnt  held  about  three  quarts  on  the  stove,  and,  when  it 
was  hot,  dropped  in  the  fat  of  the  steak,  then  the  meat, 
and  left  them  to  fry  at  the  bottom  of  the  saucepan. 

"  I  should  think  that  would  burn,"  said  Mrs.  Lennox. 

"  No,  because  the  meat  fat  is  there ;  but  it  has  to 
brown  very  quickly,  or  the  meat  will  be  hard ;  that 
is  why  I  let  tlie  saucepan  get  so  hot.  Now  I  want  a 
carrot,  an  onion,  and  a  turnip  —  all  of  medium  size." 

"  I  have  only  small  onions." 

*'  Two  of  those,  then." 

Molly  washed  and  then  began  to  peel  them  —  the 
turnip  thick,  the  carrot  veiy  thin. 

"  What  can  /  do?  "  asked  Mrs.  Lennox. 

"  You  can  chop  that  suet  very  fine,  taking  away  all 
skin  and  veins." 

Molly  cut  the  vegetables  into  slices  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  thick,  made  piles  of  half  a  dozen  slices  of  carrot, 
then  cut  across  them  at  even  distances  ;  it  was  more 
quickly  done  than  the  usual  hit  or  miss  way,  and  they 
looked  far  better  ;  the  turnip  she  did  the  same,  and  then 
she  stirred  the  meat  round,  which  was  sending  a  savory 
odor  through  the  house.  The  peeled  onion  she  dropped 
into  water,  and  then,  with  hands  still  in  the  w;iter,  cut  it 
across  at  equal  distances  all  the  way  through,  then  across 
again. 

"  What  are  you  doing  that  in  water  for  ?  " 

"  It  prevents  the  odor  clinging  so  much  to  the  hands. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  59 

and  also  mitigates  its  power  to  make  me  weep."  As 
she  spoke  she  took  all  the  vegetables  to  the  saucepan, 
dropped  tliem  in  and  stirred  them  quickly  round,  then 
poured  two  kitchen  cups  of  boiling  water  on  the  whole, 
and  seasoned  it  with  a  tea-spoonful  of  salt  and  a  quarter 
one  of  pepper. 

"  I  want  to  watch  that  come  to  the  boil,  and  then  put 
it  where  it  will  just  simmer." 

She  had  covered  the  saucepan  close,  and  then  turned 
to  Mrs.  Lennox.  The  suet  in  her  unaccustomed  hands 
was  still  far  from  being  chopped  fine,  and  the  warmth  of 
the  kitchen  had  made  it  cloof  together.  Mollv  said,  "  If 
suet  gets  soft  while  being  chopped,  shake  a  little  flour 
into  it,  also  flour  the  chopping-knife.  When  chopping  it 
in  winter  for  mincemeat,  I  let  it  get  well  frozen."  She 
chopped  vigorously  as  she  spoke,  and  it  was  soon  so 
fine  as  to  look  like  tapioca.  She  then  turned  to  the 
saucepan,  which  had  reached  the  boiling-point,  and  drew 
it  aside,  carefully  changing  the  position  until  it  just 
simmered.  She  then  pointed  out  to  Mrs.  Lennox  the 
little  sizzling  round  the  edge  of  the  saucepan,  barely 
perceptible,  and  told  her  that  it  should  cook  no  faster." 

"  But  that  does  n't  appear  to  be  cooking  at  all." 

"  Oh,  yes !  and  meat  stewed  so  will  always  be  tender. 
If  you  like  we  can  go  to  the  sewing  now,  as  it  is  too 
soon  to  make  the  crust." 

She  went  upstairs  and  sewed  till  five  o'clock,  chat- 
ting the  while,  Mrs.  Lennox  expatiating  on  the  pri- 
vations of  the  whole  family  ;  and  Molly  could  well 
understand  how  it  came  about,  with  a  poor,  weary 
mother  sewing  strenuously  to  make  the  children  look 
well,  and  understanding  so  little  of  domestic  economy 
that  she  did  not  see  that,  by  a  different  mode  of  living, 
she  would  save  enough  in  the  month  either  to  buy  new 
clothes  or  to  lessen  her  own  incessant  labor  by  getting 
help.  Nor  could  Molly  at  this  time  make  any  sugges- 
tion. 

At  five  o'clock  Molly  took  a  cup  of  the  suet,  and  a 
scant  two  cups  of  flour,  with  a  level  tea-spoonful  of  salt, 


60  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

tossed  all  together  in  a  bowl,  then  made  a  hole  in  the 
centre,  and  poured  in  half  a  cup  of  cold  water,  quickly  and 
lightly  made  it  into  a  dough  with  a  knife,  adding  a  few 
drops  of  water  to  bind  the  crumbs  ;  there  was  no  pres- 
sure, no  attempt  at  kneading,  and  the  dough  was  soft, 
but  not  sticky  ;  then  she  turned  it  on  the  floured  pastry- 
board,  and  rolled  it  quickly ;  it  formed  a  fairly  good 
round  shape,  an  inch  tliick,  and  somewhat  larger  than 
the  top  of  the  saucepa!i.  She  laid  it  on  the  top  of  the 
meat  and  vegetables,  after  tasting  the  gravy  to  see  if  it 
was  seasoned  enough. 

"  You  see  it  forms  a  sort  of  lid  to  the  stew,  which 
must  now  be  put  forward,  as  the  cold  crust  has  cooled  it, 
till  it  boils  again,  or  the  crust  will  be  heavy."  She 
placed  it  in  the  hottest  spot  as  she  spoke. 

"  But  do  you  mean  to  say  that  crust  will  be  light  with- 
out baking  powder  ?  " 

"  Yes,  quite  light ;  if  it  is  made  quickly,  rolled  only 
once  —  just  as  you  would  biscuit  dough,  only  not  so  soft 
—  brought  quickly  to  the  boiling-point  when  in  the  sauce- 
pan, and  then  kept  gently  simmering  an  hour,  not  allowed 
to  soak  in  the  gravy  without  cooking.  But  if  you  choose 
you  can  add  baking-powder;  it  makes  a  much  more 
crumbly  crust.  Made  as  I  have  made  it,  it  is  considered 
very  wholesome  and  nourishing,  as  beef  fat  and  wheaten 
flour  are  two  of  the  best  kinds  of  food ;  lard  and  flour 
and  baking-powder  are  by  no  means  so  wholesome  a 
combination.  When  dishing  it,  cut  the  top  crust  pie- 
fashion,  and  lay  it  round  the  meat." 

*'  Well,  *  the  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating,* 
and  if  it  is  fairly  good  I  shall  be  so  glad  to  have  some 
dish  that  is  a  change  from  our  routine,  and  it  is,  after  all, 
easy  enough,"  said  Mrs.  Lennox,  washing  potatoes  for 
the  oven. 

"  Oh,  quite  !  It  only  needs  strict  attention  to  the  little 
points,  the  slow  simmering  and  the  seasoning ;  the 
browning  at  first  is  not  necessary,  although  it  is  bet- 
ter looking  and  better  flavored  by  taking  that  little 
trouble." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  61 

"  Ah,  my  dear,  it  is  the  little  trouble,  that  seems  noth- 
ing to  you,  that  makes  so  much  difference  to  a  busy 
woman  like  me." 

"  If  you  like  this  dish,  I  have  several  others  that  I 
think  you  may  find  both  very  cheap  and  very  nice,  and 
I  shall  be  very  glad  at  any  time  to  come  over  and  give 
you  a  helping  hand  in  the  kitchen.  And,  by  and  bye, 
this  suet  crust  is  the  foundation  for  several  good  pud- 
dings, —  rolled  out  and  spread  with  jam,  and  boiled  one 
hour  and  a  half  as  a  roly-poly,  it  is  excellent ;  with  a 
cup  of  currants  added,  before  wetting  the  flour  and  suet, 
it  makes  the  *  spotted  Dick '  dear  to  English  children  ; 
or,  in  place  of  currants,  the  juice  of  a  lemon  and  the 
grated  rind  of  two,  with  half  a  cup  of  sugar,  makes  a 
nice  plain  lemon  pudding,  but  long,  steady  boiling  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  lightness.  Excuse  my  telling  you 
all  this,  but  you  know  I  am  so  fond  of  cooking,  I  can't 
help  it." 

"  I  am  much  obliged.  I  like  to  hear  all  about  it,  even 
if  I  can't  make  the  things." 

"  Now  about  that  leg  of  mutton  :  I  propose  you  roast 
the  loin  end  to-morrow,  and  there  will  be  a  little  left 
cold,  which  you  will  not  use  on  Monday,  but  cook 
the  other  half  —  have  it  boiled,  with  caper  sauce,  or 
roasted." 

"  I  will  boil  it,  for  that  is  a  dish  we  all  like  ;  only  what 
to  do  with  cold  boiled  mutton  I  don't  know ;  that  is  why, 
though  we  like  it,  we  never  have  it." 

"  Tuesday,  you  will  have  the  remains  of  the  Sunday 
roast  and  the  remains  of  Monday's  boiled  mutton,  and  I 
will  run  in  and  show  you  how  to  make  a  nice  dish  of 
them ;  but  be  sure  to  boil  the  half  leg  in  only  just  enough 
water,  and  very  slowly^  and  keep  the  broth  ;  if  you  boil 
a  turnip  and  onion  with  it,  it  will  be  all  the  better  for 
broth  and  meat." 

"  Thank  you ;  that  sounds  like  a  great  improvement 
on  hot  meat  Sunday  and  cold  Monday  and  Tuesday. 
What  about  that  kidney  ?  I  have  n't  an  idea  how  to 
cook  it." 


62  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  Soak  it  in  salt  and  water  an  hour ;  cut  it  in  pieces 
half  an  inch  thick,  leaving  out  the  core ;  flour  them  ;  put 
them  in  a  saucepan  with  half  a  table-spoonful  of  butter 
and  a  thin  slice  of  onion,  unless  it  is  disliked  ;  let  them 
fry  five  minutes,  then  add  half  a  tea-cup  of  boiling  water, 
and  stand  the  saucepan  where  it  will  just  simmer  ten 
minutes  —  if  you  leave  it  longer  the  kidney  will  be  hard. 
I  like  to  have  it  served  on  toast,  but  that  is  optional ; 
only  be  sure  it  is  served  as  soon  as  cooked,  and  with 
quite  hot  plates." 

"  Thank  you  ever  so  much.  Mr.  Lennox  will  enjoy 
his  breakfast,  I  've  no  doubt." 

"  I  hope  you  will,  too,"  said  Molly. 

"  I  dare  say  I  shall,  thanks  to  you." 

Molly  hurried  home,  for  she  had  her  own  dinner  to 
attend  to ;  and  to-night  she  was  going  to  look  over  her 
accounts  and  convince  Harry  that  "  Ten  Dollars "  is 
*'  Enough  "  to  pay  all  the  weekly  expenses  they  would 
be  likely  to  incur. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

VEAL  CUTLETS,  BREADED. 

When  Molly  reached  home  it  was  nearly  six.  Marta 
had  followed  directions  fairly  well,  but  Molly  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  do  everything  she  could  before  leav- 
in£^  home.  She  had  herself  cut  half  the  veal  cutlets  into 
neat  pieces,  the  size  of  a  large  oyster,  leaving  the  rest 
for  her  pie,  pounded  each,  squeezed  on  it  a  few  drops 
of  lemon  juice,  and  piled  one  upon  the  other,  and  told 
Marta  to  leave  them  so  an  hour  or  two,  then  bread  them 
exactly  as  she  had  done  the  lamb  chops.  She  had  also 
cut  some  thin  slices  of  breakfast  bacon,  taken  off  the 
rind  and  dark  inner  skin  very  thinly  ;  and  now,  having 
let  the  frying-pan  get  quite  hot,  she  put  the  bacon  in  it. 
As  soon  as  it  looked  clear  she  turned  it ;  it  curled  up, 
and  when  it  had  been  in  the  pan  about  three  minutes 
she  took  it  out  and  laid  in  the  cutlets  ;  the  half  a  dozen 
pieces  left  room  to  turn  them  about  comfortably. 

"You  see,  Marta,  I  don't  drop  these  into  deep  fat. 
because  veal  is  a  meat  that  requires  long  cooking,  and  is 
one  of  the  few  things  I  think  better  fried,  or  rather 
'  saute,''  in  this  way,  with  only  enough  fat  to  cook  them, 
but  it  is  much  more  trouble  to  do  than  the  frying  in 
boiling  fat." 

The  cutlets  took  nearly  ten  minutes  to  fry  a  nice 
brown  on  one  side,  because,  although  the  pan  was  kept 
at  a  good  heat,  she  had  to  guard  against  burning. 
Then  each  piece  was  turned,  and,  when  quite  brown  (it 
took  nearly  ten  minutes  more  to  get  so),  taken  up  and 
put  on  the  dish,  and  the  bacon  round  it.  Molly  took 
the  pan  to  the  table,  poured  off  the  fat,  which  was  dark, 
and  put  in  the  pan  a  dessert-spoonful  of  butter  and  a 


64  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

scant  one  of  flour,  set  them  on  the  stove  and  let  them 
melt  and  brown  a  little ;  then  she  drew  the  pan  aside, 
and  poured  a  small  cup  of  the  hot  soup  they  were  going 
to  have  for  dinner  into  it,  and  stirred  till  smooth,  mash- 
ing all  the  brown  clinging  gravy  with  the  back  of  her 
spoon.  She  explained  to  Marta  that,  if  the  soup  had 
not  been  at  hand,  water  and  pepper  and  salt  would  have 
been  used ;  or,  if  there  was  oyster  liquor  in  the  house, 
she  should  have  used  that  and  water  in  equal  parts. 

*'  Now  take  in  the  soup,  Marta,  —  and  while  that  is  on 
the  table,  let  this  gravy  boil  a  few  seconds,  then  pour  it 
through  the  strainer  into  the  dish  with  the  cutlets ;  don't 
let  it  boil  longer,  or  it  will  get  too  thick." 

After  dinner,  Harry  told  Molly  that  one  of  the  gen- 
tlemen on  the  cars,  a  friend  of  the  Win  fields',  had  spoken 
to  him  about  joining  a  dramatic  reading-club,  of  which 
he  was  president,  and  said  his  wife  was  coming  to  invite 
Molly.     "  But  I  don't  think  we  can  afford  it,  dear." 

"  Would  you  like  it  ?  "  asked  Molly  quickly. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  !  Yes,  I  think  it  might  brighten 
the  winter  a  bit." 

"  Well,  we  will  see  after  my  accounts  are  audited. 
First,  I  want  to  ask  you  how  you  consider  you  have 
fared  this  week  ?  " 

"  Admirably,  —  so  well  that  I  'm  afraid  of  the  ac- 
counts." 

"  You  need  not  be.  Now  I  want  you  to  listen  while 
I  read  over  the  bills  of  fare  for  the  week." 

Harry  nodded  in  amused  good  humor,  and  smoked  on 
comfortably. 

"  On  Monday  we  had  chicken  salad,  etc.,  for  lunch. 
Dinner — Roast  shoulder  of  lamb,  potatoes,  cabbage, 
macaroni,  tomato  salad,  and  peaches  and  cream. 

"Tuesday.  Breakfast  —  Breaded  chops,  baked  po- 
tatoes, corn  muffins." 

Harry  nodded  assent  to  each  item  as  Molly  turned 
her  bright  eyes  on  him  to  make  sure  he  was  giving  at- 
tention. 

"  Tuesday.      Dinner  —  Oysters,    steak,    ragout    of 


TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH.  65 

lamb,  stuffed  potatoes,  Lima  beans,  cheese  cauapees,  and 
lemon  pie. 

"  Wednesday.  Breakfast  —  Hashed  lamb,  poached 
eggs,  and  souffle  bread.  Dinner  —  Tomato  cream  soup, 
roast  breast  of  lamb,  chicken  croquettes,  stewed  onions 
and  potatoes,  peach  pudding. 

"  Thursday.  Breakfast  —  Lamb  chops  broiled,  eggs, 
tomato  salad,  stewed  potatoes,  muffins.  Dinner  —  Fried 
smelts,  beef  a  la  mode,  cones  of  carrots  and  turnips, 
mashed  potatoes,  lettuce  salad,  cheese  fritters,  amber 
pudding. 

"Friday.  Breakfast  —  Brown  hash,  poached  eggs, 
corn  bread,  baked  potatoes.  Dinner —  Bisque  of  clams, 
beef  au  gratin,  chicken  rissoles,  cauliflower,  potatoes, 
tomato  salad,  custard  pie. 

"  Saturday.  Breakfast  —  Scalloped  clams,  cauli- 
flower, omelet,  pop-overs,  stewed  potatoes.  Dinner  — 
Clear  soup,  veal  cutlets,  mashed  potatoes,  cabbage,  maca- 
roni, apple  pudding. 

"  And  to-morrow's  breakfast  and  dinner,  though  not 
eaten,  is  paid  for,  so  I  add  that. 

"  Sunday.  Breakfast  —  Broiled  bacon,  poached  eggs, 
muffins.  Dinner  —  Clear  soup,  chicken  pie,  mashed 
potatoes,  creamed  onions,  tomato  salad,  peach  compote, 
and  custard." 

Mollj  concluded  her  list  with  rather  a  triumphant  air, 
as  one  who  knows  she  has  achieved  what  she  set  out 
to  do. 

"  Yes,  Molly,  we  have  bad  all  those  good  breakfasts 
and  dinners,  and  I  'm  afraid  to  think  of  the  work  you 
have  had  to  cook  all  that.  Let  me  look  at  your  poor 
little  hands." 

She  held  them  towards  him.  They  were  white  and 
soft  as  ever. 

"Nevertheless,"  he  said,  pressing  them  between  his 
own,  "  I  feel  such  a  selfish  brute  to  let  you  do  it." 

"  Nonsense  !  I  like  it.  Why,  did  n't  I  always  go  to 
Mrs.  Welles'  house  after  each  cooking-lesson,  and  re- 
peat the  whole  lesson,  when  I  had  n't  the  satisfaction 
5 


66  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 

of  seeing  you  share  the  good  things  I  made,  because  we 
were  boarding?  And  didn't  she  and  I  repeat  every 
failure  until  we  got  it  right?  Those  were  the  days  when 
I  had  backaches  and  headaches,  because  I  was  so  anxious 
to  succeed  and  failed  so  often ;  but  noiu  it  is  all  at  my 
fingers'  ends,  and  no  more  trouble  than  the  simplest 
cooking  —  far  less,  indeed ;  it  takes  a  little  more  time 
and  makes  more  washing-up  for  Marta ;  and  if  we  had  a 
large  family  and  I  had  other  duties,  I  could  not  give  so 
much  time ;  nor  would  it  be  right  to  overwork  one  girl 
to  cater  to  our  tastes ;  but  in  a  tiny  house  like  this,  with 
two  or  even  four  people,  there  's  no  question  of  overwork 
for  either  mistress  or  maid." 

"  But  even  your  time,  dear,  ought  n't  to  be  sacrificed 
to  give  me  good  dinners." 

"  No,  nor  will  it  be  ;  but  what  is  my  time  good  for, 
except  to  make  your  income  go  as  far  as  it  will  ?  I  get 
all  the  time  to  read  I  want ;  I  am  not  fond  of  plain  sew- 
ing ;  and  as  clothes  ready  made  can  now  be  bought  so 
good  and  cheap,  I  don't  mean  to  do  more  than  keep  the 
buttons  sewed  on,"  —  here  she  smiled  as  she  thought  of 
the  favorite  grievance,  —  "  the  stockings  well  darned,  and 
everj'thing  mended  ;  so  you  '11  never  have  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  me  stitch  long  white  seams,  nor  wear  a  shirt 
made  by  me." 

"  Thank  heaven  !  "  ejaculated  Harry. 

"No,  nowadays  that  I  consider  real  waste  of  time. 
And  then  I've  no  gift  for  fancy  work,  pretty  as  the 
modern  version  of  it  is,  so  I  'd  like  to  know  what  I 
should  do  with  the  whole  day  if  I  did  n't  do  something  in 
the  kitchen  ?  I  expect,  when  Marta  is  trained,  never  to 
spend  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half  each  day  there,  and 
an  hour  besides  for  the  other  little  household  duties ;  that 
leaves  a  margin  for  visiting,  reading,  and  the  sewing  I 
may  have." 

"  Very  well,  Molly  dear ;  that  programme  sounds  very 
easy,  but  whether  it  works  in  piactice  I  don't  know." 

"  Everything  depends  on  Marta,  —  if  she  shows  intel- 
ligence and  cares  to  learn,  things  will  go  as  I  have 
planned  after  the  first  month ;  but  supposing  she  actu- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 


67 


ally  never  proves  capable  of  doing  the  cooking  alone,  I 
shall  simply  make  up  my  mind  to  spend  the  hour  be- 
tween five  and  six  every  day  in  the  kitchen.  I  shan't 
like  to  do  it,  because  it  ouglit  not  to  be  necessary,  but 
one  has  to  accept  some  shortcoming  with  any  servant, 
and  I  would  sooner  this  than  some  others ;  but  to  make 
it  wortli  while  to  keep  her  under  those  circumstances, 
she  must  be  very  good  in  other  things.  There !  I  'm 
talking  instead  of  attending  to  business,"  said  Molly ; 
"  here  is  an  account  of  our  expenditure." 

Monday  —  Meat  and  sundries     ....  $2.90 

Cream .10 

Yeast 02 

Tuesday — Oysters .12 

Steak 30 

Lima  Beans  ....  .05 

Wednesday  —  Extra  milk  for  soup         .        ..       .      .04 

Thursday  —  Smelts .10 

3  pounds  beef 35 

Pork 10 

Lettuce 05 

Friday  —  Cauliflower .10 

Milk  for  soup 04 

Clams .15 

Soup  bone 15 

Saturday  — Veal  cutlets,  1^  pounds        .        .  .27 

Chicken 50 

Bacon .14 

Extra  butter 25 

Milk  for  week       ....  .56 

Ice,  100  pounds 40 

Fuel 50 

$7.19 

Molly  had  added  to  the  supplies  she  had  ordered  for 

the  month,  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  amounted  to 

$9.86,  the  following  articles : 

Macaroni $0.20 

Nutmegs .10 

Lemons 20 

Carrots,  turnips,  onions         .        .  .36 

Apples 40 

Parsley .05 

Thyme 05 

$1.36 


68  •        TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 

which  brought  the  amount  to  $11.22;  one  fourth  of 
which,  $2.80,  added  to  $7.19,  made  the  week's  expend- 
iture $9.99. 

"  Now,  although  that  amount  has  been  spent  this 
week,  you  must  remember  that  of  several  of  the  articles 
bought,  a  little  is  left,  and  I  have  not  to  begin  this  week 
without  a  scrap  in  the  house  as  I  had  the  last,"  explained 
Molly.  "  We  need  ice  only  a  week  or  two  longer,  but 
when  that  need  ceases  we  shall  require  more  fuel ;  but  I 
think  a  dollar  a  week  all  the  year  round  will  average  ice 
and  fuel,  so  I  shall  allow  that.  We  shall  use  $2  a  week 
for  a  few  weeks,  but  barely  50  cents  the  rest  of  the 
year." 

Molly  laid  the  accounts  before  her  husband  as  she  fin- 
ished, and  he  gravely  looked  them  over. 

"  And  if,  this  month,  I  come  out  even  five  cents  a- 
head,  we  may  count  ourselves  safe,  for  buying  in  the 
very  small  quantities  I  am  now  doing  is  an  extravagant 
way.  But  I  wanted  to  make  sure  my  '  paper  housekeep- 
ing '  would  work  in  practice." 

There  was  rather  an  anxious  look  in  Harry's  eyes  as 
he  read  over  the  accounts.  He  was  afraid  Molly  had 
sadly  miscalculated,  and  he  hated  to  prove  her  at  fault, 
although  he  loved  to  poke  fun  at  her. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  his  wife,  starting  up 
and  looking  over  his  shoulder. 

"  Only,  dear,  if  you  remember,  we  had  chicken  in  one 
form  or  other  several  times  this  week,  but  there  is  only 
one  chicken  counted,  and  that  is  to-day.  Also  lamb 
chops  we  have  had  several  times."  He  glanced  up  at 
her  deprecatingly,  for  he  felt  such  criticism  ungracious, 
yet  necessary  ;  but  Molly  was  quite  serene. 

"  The  box  of  chicken  in  Monday's  bill  was  all  I  've 
used  ;  the  chops  also  were  from  Monday.  There 's  one 
thing,  though,  I  will  call  your  attention  to,  and  that  is, 
that  the  most  expensive  meal  we  have  had  was  the  steak, 
yet  people  who  use  steak  every  day  are  supposed  to  live 
plainly  and  economically.'*^ 

"  Then  we  come  out  wonderfully,  I  acknowledge." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  69 

"  This  week,  of  course,  Marta  has  simply  seen  how  I 
want  things  done ;  next  week  I  want  her  to  actually  do 
the  cooking  from  recipes.  Do  you  think  you  can  stand 
last  week's  dinners  all  over  again  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  my  dear  ;  why  not  ?  " 

"  That 's  well,  because  if  I  teach  her  new  things  be- 
fore she  has  learnt  these  thoroughly,  she  will  get  con- 
fused. I  want  to  feel  that  there  are  a  few  things  I  can 
absolutely  trust  her  to  do.  Then  I  can  go  on  to  fresh 
fields,  so  you  may  have  things  that  are  difficult  to  cook 
rather  oftener  than  I  like,  till  Marta  is  capable." 

"  I  shall  not  object  to  aid  in  Marta's  education  so  far," 
said  Harry. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DETAILS    OF   MOLLT'S    MANAGEMENT RECIPES. 

Molly  had  not  entered  so  fully  into  matters  with 
Harry  as  she  would  have  done  had  he  been  a  woman ; 
but  as  this  story  is  to  tell,  not  only  what  Molly  did,  but 
how  she  did  it,  I  must  be  a  little  more  explicit. 

She  found  herself  on  Wednesday  with  a  breast  of 
lamb,  eight  chops,  half  a  box  of  boned  chicken,  and  a 
small  piece  of  steak.  The  chops  were  good  for  two 
breakfasts ;  the  chicken,  prepared  as  for  croquettes, 
would  make  either  eight  of  those,  or  three  croquettes, 
three  rissoles,  and  some  fritters.  Now,  as  eight  cro- 
quettes for  two  people  would  be  waste,  since  they  were 
only  an  entree,  the  main  dinner  being  something  else, 
she  had  no  idea  of  that,  but  rissoles,  fritters  and  cro- 
quettes being  all  prepared  alike,  and  keeping  better  in 
that  way,  she  made  the  mixture,  and  used  enough  for 
the  three  croquettes,  leaving  the  rest  in  the  ice-box  for 
use  another  day.  Part  of  the  chops  she  would  not  want 
to  use  till  the  end  of  the  week,  and  keeping  them  quite 
sweet  she  made  all  the  fat  that  had  come  from  the  lamb 
(dripping  and  trimmings,  etc.)  boiling  hot,  then  laid  the 
chops  in  it  —  seethed  them,  as  it  were  —  for  one  min- 
ute, then  put  them  away  with  the  coat  of  fat  on  them, 
to  be  scraped  off  when  they  were  to  be  cooked. 

For  the  clam  soup  a  pint  and  a  half  was  all  that  was 
needed,  and  the  liquor,  with  half  the  clams,  was  all  that 
she  used  ;   the  rest  she  scalloped  for  breakfast. 

It  was  in  making  no  more  of  each  dish  than  they  could 
eat  (but  allowing  plenty  for  kitchen  as  well  as  dining- 
room)  that  Molly  was  able  to,  have  what  seemed  a  sur- 
prising table,  —  that  and  one  other  thing,  allowing  noth- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  71 

ing  whatever  to  be  wasted.  The  piece  of  steak  left  from 
Tuesday's  dinner  was  fag  end ;  it  was  put  away,  and  when 
the  hash  was  made  for  Friday  morning  from  the  remains 
of  a  la  mode  beef,  the  steak  was  just  the  thing  to  add 
to  it. 

For  lunch  there  had  always  been  enough  in  the  house 
from  dinner  the  night  before.  As  it  was  her  plan  to  put 
Marta  more  on  her  own  responsibility  the  following  week, 
she  had  prepared  for  that  purpose  the  recipes  of  the 
principal  things;  and  as  Marta's  mistakes  and  difficulties 
might  occur  to  others,  the  working  of  them  out  in  her 
hands  will  be  more  instructive  than  recounting  Molly's 
certain  success. 

The  recipes  were  as  follows  :  — 

Hashed  Lamb.  —  Tiie  remains  of  ragout  of  lamb, 
freed  from  bone,  chopped  with  the  vegetables,  the  gravy, 
and  a  tea-spoonful  of  butter  and  one  of  "Worcestei'shire 
sauce  added ;  the  whole  made  boiling  hot,  and  served  on 
fried  bread. 

Souffle  Bread.  —  Two  eggs,  two  table-spoonfuls  of 
flour,  in  which  half  a  tea-spoonful  of  baking-powder  is 
sifted  ;  beat  yolks  and  a  table-spoonful  of  butter,  melted, 
together,  then  add  flour  2in^just  milk  enough  to  make  a 
very  thick  batter;  add  a  pinch  of  salt  and  a  tea-spoonful 
of  sugar ;  whip  whites  of  eggs  to  a  firm  froth,  and  stir 
gently  in.  Have  ready  a  small  iron  spider  (or  earthen 
p:in  is  still  better),  made  hot,  with  a  dessert-spoonful  of 
l)utter  also  hot,  but  not  so  hot  as  for  frying;  pour  the 
mixture,  which  should  be  like  sponge-cake  batter,  into 
the  pan,  cover  with  a  lid  or  tin  plate,  and  set  it  back  of 
the  stove  if  the  fire  is  good —  if  slow,  it  may  be  quite 
forward.  When  well  risen,  almost  like  omelet  souflfle, 
set  it  in  the  oven  five  minutes  to  brown  the  top  ;  if  the 
oven  is  cool,  you  may  very  carefully  turn  it,  so  as  not  to 
deaden  it ;  serve  when  done,  under  side  uppermost.  It 
should  be  a  fine  golden  brown. 

Soufiie  bread  may  be  baked  in  a  thick  tin,  with 
rather  more  butter  than  enough  to  grease  it,  but  the 
oven  must  be  very  hot  indeed,  and  it  should  be  covered 
till  thoroughly  puffed  up,  then  allowed  to  brown. 


72  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Tomato  Cream  Soup.  —  Put  six  ripe  tomatoes  on 
to  stew  ;  when  done,  boil  one  pint  of  milk  in  a  double 
boiler,  mix  two  tea-spoonfuls  (lar^e)  of  flour  with  very 
little  milk  till  smooth,  then  stir  it  into  the  boiling  milk; 
cook  ten  minutes.  To  the  tomato  put  a  salt-spoonful, 
scant,  of  soda,  stir  well,  then  rub  through  a  strainer  fine 
enough  to  keep  back  seeds  ;  add  a  dessert-spoonful  of 
butter  to  the  milk,  stirring  well,  then  the  tomato,  and 
serve  immediately. 

Breast  of  Lamb  Roasted.  —  Take  out  the  bones 
with  a  small,  sharp  knife ;  put  them  on  to  boil  with  a 
piece  of  carrot  and  a  slice  of  onion,  a  pint  of  water  and 
a  bay  leaf ;  boil  for  two  hours  till  reduced  to  less  than 
half.  Roll  the  breast  (it  may  be  seasoned  with  pepper, 
salt  and  chopped  parsley  before  rolling)  and  skewer  it, 
then  brush  it  over  with  e^^  and  roll  in  cracker  crumbs ; 
bake  in  a  good  oven  an  hour  and  a  half,  basting  often. 
It  should  be  very  well  browned,  but  not  burnt.  AVhen 
done  take  it  up,  put  a  dessert-spoonful  of  butter  in  the 
pan,  which  set  on  the  stove,  then  add  a  scant  one  of 
flour ;  let  them  brown  together,  Stirling  the  while ; 
strain  to  it  the  gravy  from  the  bones,  stirring  quickly  to 
prevent  lumps,  season  to  taste,  add  a  tea-spoonful  of 
lemon  juice  or  vinegar,  and  pour  round  the  meat. 

Chicken  Croquettes.  —  Half  a  box  of  boned 
chicken,  or  half  a  chicken  ;  chop  it  fine,  flavor  with  a 
few  mushrooms,  or  a  little  oyster  liquor,  or  oysters 
chopped,  or  a  very  little  ham,  or  simply  a  piece  of  on- 
ion as  large  as  a  hazel-nut,  scalded  and  chopped  very 
fine,  and  a  tea-spoonful  of  finely  chopped  parsley.  In 
flavoring  this  (and  other  dishes)  take  advantage  of  what 
may  be  in  the  house  suitable.  Put  a  table-spoonful  of 
butter  in  a  small  saucepan  with  a  table-spoonful  of  flour, 
stir  till  they  bubble,  then  put  into  a  half-pint  measure  a 
gill  of  strong  stock  made  from  bones  (Molly  had  bruised 
up  the  bones  from  the  shoulder  of  lamb  and  boiled 
them  down)  and,  if  you  have  it,  a  gill  of  cream  or 
milk  (unless  you  have  oyster  or  mushroom  liquor,  when 
half  a  gill  of   cream),  and   fill   up  with   either  of   them 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  73 

(the  liquid,  of  whatever  kind,  must  be  just  half  a  pint 
to  this  quantity)  ;  pour  this  on  the  butter  and  flour,  and 
stir  till  it  forms  a  thick,  smooth  sauce ;  boil  five  minutes, 
season  highly,  and  then  mix  the  chicken  with  it ;  stir  to- 
getlier,  and  pour  it  out  on  a  plate,  and  put  it  to  get  quite 
cold  and  firm.  If  no  stock  is  used,  an  e^g  must  be 
stirred  into  the  sauce,  moving  it  a  few  seconds  from  the 
fire  before  adding  it,  or  it  will  curdle.  When  it  is  cold 
and  stiff,  put  plenty  of  cracker  meal  on  a  board,  beat  an 
egg  with  a  table-spoonful  of  water,  cut  the  chicken  mix- 
ture into  strips,  roll  it  between  the  hands  into  shapes  like 
wine  corks,  no  larger,  put  each  one  into  the  egg,  then 
into  the  cracker  meal,  taking  care  the  egg  has  covered 
every  part  and  the  meal  coats  it  thoroughly.  As  each  is 
done,  lay  it  on  a  plate  of  cracker  meal.  They  may  be 
prepared  an  hour  or  two  before  they  are  needed.  To  fry 
them,  the  fat  must  be  so  hot  that  bread  dropped  into  it 
will  color  well  in  thirty  seconds  ;  arrange  a  few  at  a  time 
in  a  frying  basket,  set  it  in  the  hot  fat ;  two  minutes 
will  make  them  golden  brown ;  if  left  longer,  or  made 
too  large,  they  will  burst. 

Rissoles.  —  Take  a  little  fine  paste,  —  any  trimmings 
will  do.  —  roll  it  as  thin  as  paper,  cut  it  into  squares  three 
inches  by  four,  lay  on  each  a  strip  as  thick  as  your  finger 
of  the  chicken  mixture,  aud  roll  up,  wetting  the  edges  of 
the  paste  and  pressing  together,  so  that  there  will  be  no 
oozing  out ;  egg  and  crumb  the  same  as  croquettes,  and 
iry  four  minutes. 

Chicken  Fritters.  —  Make  some  good  batter  thus  : 
a  cup  of  flour  sifted ;  melt  a  table-spoonful  of  butter 
in  a  scant  cup  of  warm  water,  which  pour  by  degrees  to 
the  flour,  making  a  batter  thick  enough  to  mask  the  back 
of  a  spoon  dipped  iu  it ;  salt  to  taste  ;  add,  the  last  thing, 
the  white  of  an  egg  well  beaten.  Make  the  chicken 
mixture  into  balls  the  size  of  small  walnuts,  flatten  a 
little,  dip  into  the  batter,  and  drop  from  the  spoon  into 
very  hot  fat,  the  same  as  croquettes. 

Peach  Pudding.  —  A  cup  of  flour,  one  tea-spoonful 
of  baking-powder  sifted  in  it;  make  into  a  very  thick  bat- 


74  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

ter  with  three  parts  of  a  cup  of  milk,  beat  two  eggs  very 
liglit  with  a  quarter  cup  of  sugar,  add  a  pinch  of  salt, 
mix,  and  then  stir  in  as  many  cut-up  peaches  as  you  can  ; 
butter  a  iiowl  throughly,  nearly  lill  with  the  mixture,  tie 
a  cloth  over  it,  and  plunge  mio  fast  boiling  water;  boil 
one  hour,  taking  care  that  ebullition  never  ceases  while 
the  pudding  is  in  the  saucepan,  or  it  will  be  soggy. 
Serve  with  cream,  or  soft  custard,  or  hard  sauce. 

Pkach  Fritters  are  made  by  the  same  recipe,  but 
dropped  by  the  spoonful  in  boiling  lard. 

Fried  Smelts. —  Cleanse  and  dry  them,  then  dip 
them  in  milk,  then  in  flour ;  shake  off  superfluous  flour, 
and  then  egg  and  crumb  them  the  same  as  chops,  laying 
each  flsh  when  done  on  a  bed  of  cracker  meal.  Make 
the  lard  as  hot  as  for  croquettes,  and  drop  them  in  five 
or  six  at  a  time.  If  the  lard  is  hot  enough  they  will 
brown  in  two  minutes. 

Beef  X  la  IMode.  —  Three  pounds  of  the  vein  or 
any  coarse  part  of  beef  that  is  solid  meat,  and  half  a 
pound  of  fat  pork.  Pierce  the  meat  in  several  places 
with  a  knife,  and  into  each  hole  thus  made  put  a  strip  of 
pork ;  lay  the  beef  in  an  earthen  pan,  with  a  bay  leaf,  a 
sprig  of  thyme,  four  sprigs  of  parsley,  two  onions,  me- 
dium size,  with  a  clove  stuck  in  each,  half  a  blade  of 
mace,  half  a  carrot  and  turnip,  a  wine-glass  of  cooking- 
sherry,  and  a  gallon  of  water,  with  half  a  salt-spoonful  of 
f)epper.  The  pan  should  not  be  much  larger  than  the 
meat.  Cover  closely,  using  a  common  flour  and  water 
paste  round  the  edges  to  prevent  the  steam  escaping, 
and  set  in  a  good  oven  three  hours.  The  wine  may  be 
omitted,  and  a  wine-glass  more  water  added,  with  a 
table-spoonful  of  Worcestershire  sauce  and  half  one  of 
vinegar.  When  done,  take  up  the  meat  carefully,  strain 
the  gravy,  skim  and  season,  and  pour  it  over  the  meat. 
Don't  add  the  salt  till  the  gravy  is  done,  as  pork  varies 
so  much  that  you  may  get  it  too  salt  with  very  little 
added;  you  must  go  by  taste. 

Cones  of  Carrots  and  Turnips.  —  Boil  them  sep- 
arately in  quarters,  using  white  turnips ;  chop  each  fine 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  75 

in  a  chopping-bowl,  put  a  dessert-spoonful  of  butter  with 
them,  season  with  white  pepper  and  salt,  then  press 
them  into  a  cone  shape  —  a  wine-^lass  will  answer  — 
and  stand  them  in  alternate  cones  of  the  yellow  carrot  and 
white  turnips  round  the  beef  a  la  mode  or  corned  beef. 

Chekse  Fritters.  —  Grate  two  ounces  of  cheese 
with  two  dessert-spoonfuls  of  bread  crumbs,  a  half  tea- 
spoonful  of  dry  mustard,  a  dessert-spoonful  of  butter,  a 
speck  of  cayenne,  and  the  yolk  of  an  egg ;  pound  with 
a  potato-masher  till  smooth  and  well  mixed,  then  pro- 
ceed as  for  chicken  fritters. 

Amber  Pudding.  —  Two  eggs,  their  weight  in 
sugar,  butter,  flour,  and  the  juice  and  grated  peel  of  one 
lemon.  Beat  the  yolks,  with  the  sugar,  lemon  juice, 
and  butter  softened,  till  very  light ;  sift  in  the  flour  and 
grated  peel,  butter  a  small  bowl  or  mould,  pour  the  mix- 
ture in  and  boil  two  hours. 

Bisque  of  Clams.  —  For  one  pint  and  a  half  of 
soup  take  a  dozen  large  clams ;  stew  them  fifteen  min- 
utes in  their  own  liquor,  to  which  water  is  added  to 
make  three  gills.  Boil  three  gills  of  milk ;  stir  one  des- 
sert-spoonful of  butter  and  one  of  flour  in  a  small  sauce- 
pan till  they  bubble  ;  then  pour  the  boiling  milk  quickly 
on  them,  stirring  all  the  while  ;  stand  it  aside.  Squeeze 
each  clam  with  a  lemon-squeezer,  and  you  will  find  little 
but  an  empty  skin  remains  ;  strain  the  clams  and  liquor 
to  the  thick  white  sauce  already  made,  pressing  as  much 
juice  out  as  possible  ;  then  stir  well,  bring  all  to  a  boil, 
and  remove  from  the  fire  while  you  beat  the  yolk  of  an 
egg  with  two  table-spoonfuls  of  the  soup;  stir  it  to  the. 
rest  and  season  to  taste.  Take  care  the  soup  is  boiling 
hot,  yet  does  not  boil  after  the  egg  is  added,  or  it  will 
curdle. 

Scalloped  Clams.  —  Take  a  smatl  cup  of  the  bisque 
of  clams,  before  the  egg  is  added,  and  save  it  for  the 
scallop.  Scald  ten  or  a  dozen  clams,  cut  out  the  hard 
part,  chop  the  rest  fine.  Butter  tin  scallop  shells  or  lit- 
tle saucers  thickly,  strew  them  with  bread  crumbs,  put  a 
layer   of   clams    with    pepper,  a   layer   of    crumbs,  and 


76  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

enough  of  the  soup  to  moisten  them  ;  then  more  clams, 
more  pepper,  and  crumbs  over  the  top,  and  then  a  thin 
covering  of  the  soup,  and  bake  a  rich  brown.  Serve  a 
cut  lemon  with  them.  Be  careful  not  to  get  too  much 
soup  on  them,  —  they  should  be  moist,  not  wet,  and  be 
served  very  hot.  Add  a  little  salt  if  the  clams  are  not 
salt  enough,  but  it  is  seldom  necessary. 

Cauliflower  Omelet.  —  Two  eggs,  a  half  cup  of 
cold  cauliflower  with  the  sauce ;  mash  the  cauliflower 
and  sauce,  beat  the  yolks  of  eggs  with  it,  then  beat  the 
whites  till  they  will  not  slip  from  the  dish,  and  stir  them 
gently  in  ;  add  pepper  and  salt,  and  fry  as  any  other 
omelet. 

As  Molly  had  given  minute  directions  to  Marta  for 
frying  omelet  already,  she  did  not  repeat  them  in  her 
recipes.  When  Molly  had  made  the  brown  hash  for 
breakfast,  she  had  laid  aside  some  of  the  nicest  slices  of 
the  cold  a  la  mode  beef  and  the  gravy  for 

Beef  au  Gratin.  —  Put  a  layer  of  bread  crumbs  in 
a  small  dish,  then  a  layer  of  fat  pork  cut  thin  as  a  wafer, 
then  a  layer  of  beef,  on  which  strew  a  very  little  chopped 
onion  and  parsley,  pepper  and  salt ;  then  another  layer 
of  the  shaved  pork,  more  beef,  and  cover  the  top  with 
bread  crumbs ;  over  all  pour  gravy  enough  to  moisten  it 
well,  and  bake  slowly  one  hour. 

Custard  Pie.  —  Line  the  dish  with  light  paste 
(Molly  used  what  was  left  after  making  the  lemon  pie, 
—  puff  paste  will  keep  a  week  in  the  ice-box),  beat  one 
e^^,  mix  with  a  small  cup  of  milk  and  one  table-spoon- 
ful of  sugar,  pour  it  into  the  pie,  grate  nutmeg  over,  and 
bake  in  an  oven  that  is  very  hot  on  the  bottom. 

Clear  Soup.  —  Three  pounds  of  soup-meat,  or  a 
soup-bone  weighing  that ;  gash  the  meat  well  and  put  to 
it  three  quarts  of  cold  water  and  three  tea-spoonfuls  of 
salt,  half  one  of  pepper,  one  small  carrot,  one  turnip, 
one  large  onion  —  each  must  weigh  three  ounces  after 
peeling  ;  stick  one  clove  in  the  onion,  cut  the  vegeta- 
bles, and  when  the  meat  has  slowly  boiled  two  hours, 
add  the    vegetables  and  cook    three  hours   more.     By 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  77 

slow  boiling  is  meant  just  an  occasional  bubble  in  the 
centre  of  the  pot.  Skim  just  as  the  meat  comes  to  the 
boil,  then  throw  in  half  a  cup  of  cold  water ;  take  off  the 
scum  that  will  now  rise  rapidly,  adding  a  little  cold 
water  asrain  when  it  beijins  to  boil.  Skim  a^^ain  after 
the  vegetables  are  in,  and  when  done,  strain.  When 
cold,  take  off  the  fat ;  don't  shake  the  soup,  but  pour 
through  a  clean  cloth,  all  but  the  sediment,  which  keep 
to  make  gravy.  It  must  never  boil  fast,  or  it  will  be 
cloudy  and  taste  poor.  There  will  be  two  quarts  and  a 
pint  of  fine,  clear  soup,  if  the  boiling  has  been  so  slow 
as  to  waste  very  little. 

Chicken  Pie.  —  Put  the  neck,  gizzard,  and  feet, 
scalded,  of  a  chicken  in  nearly  a  pint  of  water  with  a 
small  spoonful  of  salt  and  a  slice  of  onion  and  a  piece  of 
carrot  as  big  as  your  thumb.  Let  them  stew  slowly  till 
there  is  not  more  than  a  gill  of  liquid,  which  strain  and 
put  aside  ;  when  cold  it  will  be  hard  jelly.  Lay  in  the 
bottom  of  a  deep  oval  dish  that  holds  rather  more  than 
three  quarts,  about  half  a  pound  of  veal  cutlet  (or  beef- 
steak if  you  prefer)  finely  chopped  across,  yet  not  made 
into  sausage-meat;  sprinkle  on  it  a  scant  salt-spoonful  of 
salt  and  a  little  pepper,  shave  nice  sweet  salt  pork  and 
put  a  thin  layer  of  that;  then  put  in  the  chicken,  neatly 
divided  into  small  joints,  sprinkling  each  with  a  little 
salt  and  pepper,  and  always  pile  toward  the  centre  ; 
when  full  add  forcemeat  balls  made  thus  :  Chop  very 
finely  a  heaped  tea-spoonful  of  parsley,  rub  a  scant  salt- 
spoonful  of  thyme  leaves  to  fine  powder  (this  is  easily 
done  if  they  are  put  to  stand  in  a  hot  place  a  few  min- 
utes before  rubbing,  taking  care  they  do  not  burn),  add 
to  them  a  tea-cup  of  fine  bread  crumbs  and  just  one 
grate  of  nutmeg,  the  nutmeg  drawn  sharply  once  up  and 
down  the  grater ;  chop  into  this  a  good  tea-spoonful  of 
butter,  and  wet  all  with  the  yolk  of  an  egg  ;  now  add  a 
little  salt  and  pepper,  tasting  to  see  when  there  is 
enough ;  make  into  little  round  balls  and  drop  into  the 
pie  wherever  there  is  a  chink,  and  pour  over  all  half  a 
cup  of  water.     Now  roll    out  some    rough    puff   paste 


78  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

(made  as  for  lemon  pie),  cut  strips  half  an  inch  thick 
and  two  broad,  wet  the  edges  of  the  dish  and  lay  this 
round  lightly.  If  the  chicken  is  packed  in  the  shape  of 
a  dome  it  will  slope  from  the  sides,  and  the  paste  can  be 
pressed  round  the  inside  edge  to  make  it  adhere  to  the 
dish  ;  wet  it  slightly,  then  roll  the  paste  for  a  cover 
half  an  inch  thick;  lay  it  on,  press,  with  your  forefinger 
laid  flat  to  form  a  groove  between  the  chicken  and  the 
dish,  so  that  the  inner  edge  of  the  under  paste  adheres 
to  the  upper  one  ;  don't  press  the  outer  edge  at  all  ;  trim 
round  with  a  sharp  knife,  make  a  good-sized  hole  in  the 
centre  and  ornament  with  twisted  paste,  or  as  you 
choose  ;  brush  all  over  with  white  of  e^g  (not  the  edges, 
or  they  will  not  rise)  and  bake  an  hour  and  a  quarter  in 
a  good  steady  oven.  Before  it  is  cold,  pour  the  gravy 
made  from  giblets  through  the  hole  in  the  top,  using  a 
funnel  for  the  purpose.  This  pie  is  excellent  cold,  but 
if  made  the  day  before  using,  when  made  hot  it  will 
take  quite  half  an  hour  to  heat  through.  Lay  a  paper 
over  to  protect  the  crust. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

WHAT   TO    DO    WITH    A    SOUP-BONE. 

"I  don't  think  there  is  any  more  painful  fact  con- 
nected with  a  small  income  than  one's  inability  to  do 
anything  for  the  distress  one  hears  of,"  said  Harry  as 
he  chipped  an  egg  at  breakfast  on  Sunday  morning. 

"  I  feel  that  too,  very  keenly  ;  but  are  you  thinking  of 
any  special  instance  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  poor  fellow  was  killed  a  few  weeks  ago  on 
the  track  here,  and  he  left  a  delicate  wife  and  three  little 
children.  They  were  taking  up  a  collection  in  the  cars 
for  her  yesterday.  I  contributed  my  mite,  of  course ;  but 
what  are  a  few  dollars  in  a  case  like  that?  They  say  he 
had  been  out  of  work  for  weeks  before  he  got  the  em- 
ployment that  led  to  his  death,  and  that  if  some  more 
permanent  help  does  not  reach  them,  they  will  be  near 
starvation  this  winter." 

"  Oh,  surely  not,  certainly  not,  if  people  only  know 
of  the  distress ;  each  one  will  do  a  little,  and  so  very  lit- 
tle will  keep  hunger  from  them,"  said  Molly  confidently. 

"  Well,  1  hope  so,  but  unfortunately  times  are  very 
hard,  and  these  people  are  strangers,  while  all  Green- 
Held  charity  is  needed  for  the  well-known  poor." 

"  Well,  I  believe  in  each  one  doing  the  duty  that  lies 
before  him  without  waiting  to  see  if  others  do  theirs. 
We  are  strangers  here,  too ;  so  perhaps  we  have  the  best 
right  to  help  those  like  ourselves." 

"  But,  my  dear  Molly,"  expostulated  Harry,  "  we  can 
but  just  meet  our  own  expenses." 

"  I  know,  but.  if  there  is  any  real  need  we  must  do  our 
part ;  not  as  I  should  like  to  do  it,  for  to  a  needy  family 
I  would  like  to  give  beefsteak  and  comforts  as  well  as 


80  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

necessities,  but  that  we  can't  do.  ■  What  we  can  we  will. 
Can  we  spare  a  dollar  a  month,  do  you  think,  from  our 
twenty  dollars  margin  ?  " 

"  Why,  of  course,  if  you  say  so." 

"  I  do,  if  necessary.  I  will  see  the  woman  and  judge 
if  the  need  is  very  pressing,  and  then,  perhaps,  some  of 
our  neighbors  will  do  something." 

"  You  're  a  brick,  Molly,  my  dear,  but  what  you  may 
be  thinking  of  I  don't  know." 

"  If  the  necessity  is  great  I  can  do  something  ;  if  it  is 
not.  the  woman  may  despise  what  I  can  do." 

No  more  was  said,  but  next  morning,  on  her  way  back 
from  the  depot,  after  seeing  Harry  off,  she  went  to  a 
row  of  tinv  tenements,  built  on  the  street  through  which 
the  railroad  passed,  evidently  the  homes  of  the  very 
poor,  and  in  one  of  which  she  was  told  Mrs.  Gibbs  was 
to  be  found. 

In  the  very  poorest  of  the  very  poor  little  group,  she 
found  the  widow  and  her  fatherless  children,  the  oldest 
only  five,  the  youngest  not  six  weeks  old.  The  mother 
looked  so  frail  and  white  that  Molly's  heart  ached  to 
think  that  what  she  could  do  was  hardly  the  sort  of  help 
this  poor  soul  needed.  Surely  beef  tea,  and  milk  and 
eggs,  and  every  nourishing  thing  was  required  to  buiW 
up  that  fragile  frame.  And  all  she  would  be  sure  of 
giving  was  bread  and  occasionally,  perhaps,  a  savory 
meal.  How  she  wished  she  knew  more  people  whom 
she  might  influence  for  the  right  kind  of  help  ! 

She  talked  to  Mrs.  Gibbs,  and  learned  that  her  poor 
husband  had  been  in  work  only  a  fortnight,  after  being 
months  idle  from  sickness,  when  the  accident  happened, 
and  that  the  baby  was  only  three  days  old  when  its 
father  died. 

"At  first  every  one  was  good  ;  they  came  and  helped 
me  and  did  a  great  deal ;  but  there  are  so  many  needing 
help.  I  could  not  expect  it  all  to  be  given  to  me,  and  I 
did  think  I  might  get  a  little  sewing  when  I  was  out  of 
bed,  but  I  have  no  machine,  and  so  I  can  only  earn  a 
few  cents  u  week.     What  I  should  have  done  I  don'r 


! 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  81 

know,  if  a  kind  gentleman  hadn't  made  a  collection  in 
his  car  for  me,  and  brought  me  on  Saturday  $12,  which 
is  owing  for  two  months'  rent." 

"  And  you  will  have  it  all  to  pay  away  ?  "  cried  Molly. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  I  must,  but  oh,  I  'm  so  thankful  to  have 
it.  The  dread  of  losinsr  the  roof  over  us  is  worse  than 
hunger  or  anything." 

"  But  surely  you  have  not  needed  food  ?  " 

The  tears  came  to  the  woman's  eyes. 

"  I  'm  never  hungry,  but  the  children  are,  and  yet  I 
think  if  I  could  get  good  food  for  a  week  or  two,  I 
should  get  strong  and  could  do  work." 

''  That  food  she  must  have,"  thought  Molly.  "  At  all 
events,  for  a  few  days  she  shall  have  half  a  pound  of 
steak  or  a  chop.  I  believe  her.  That  delicate  look  is 
semi-starvation." 

Molly  bought  at  the  butcher's  that  morning  one  pound 
of  the  tender  side  of  the  round  steak.  It  cost  sixteen 
cents,  and  she  intended  Mrs.  Gibbs  to  have  one  third  for 
three  days. 

"  Then  when  she  has  one  nourishing  solid  meal  a  day 
she  can  make  upon  other  things,  and  the  dollar  we  have 
squeezed  out  for  her  must  be  made  to  go  as  far  as  pos- 
sible." 

When  Molly  had  made  her  clear  soup  on  vSaturday 
she  had  looked  regretfully  at  the  couple  of  pounds  of 
meat  and  veoretables  that  were  strained  from  it,  wishincr 
she  knew  to  whom  to  give  it,  as  her  own  family  was 
not  large  enough  to  need  it,  and  hoping  some  one  might 
ask  for  food  at  the  door.  She  had  kept  it,  also  about  a 
cup  of  the  soup  that  was  thick  at  the  bottom  (the  rich- 
est part,  although  for  appearance'  sake  it  must  not  be 
used  with  clear  soup). 

She  had  a  use  for  it  now :  it  would  make  a  savory 
hash,  not  nourishing  enough  for  an  invalid  like  Mrs. 
Gibbs  to  depend  on,  but  good  for  her  children  and  her- 
self, in  addition  to  the  steak. 

Marta  was  busy  washing ;  so,  soon  after  eleven,  Molly 
chopped  the  meat  and  vegetables  quite  fine,  added  about 
6 


82  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

a  third  the  quantity  of  cold  mashed  potato  to  it,  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  Worcestershire  sauce,  and  a  table-spoonful  of 
flour.  This  she  moistened  with  a  half  cup  of  the  soup 
and  seasoned  it  with  pepper  and  salt.  Then  she  greased 
a  deep  yellow  pie-plate,  put  the  hash  in  it  and  set  it  in 
the  oven. 

Having  some  kind  of  hot  bread  every  morning,  IMolly 
used  but  very  little  bread.  She  had  made  a  loaf  on 
Saturday  which  was  more  than  half  left.  She  must 
give  that,  and  make  a  few  quick  rolls  for  their  own  din- 
ner. 

While  the  hash  was  getting  brown  she  put  a  pint  of 
flour  to  dry  and  warm,  and  the  third  of  a  cake  of  com- 
pressed yeast  to  dissolve  in  a  cup  of  warm  milk,  into 
whicli,  when  well  mixed,  she  stirred  a  table-spoonful  of 
butter  till  it  got  soft,  and  then  the  beaten  yolk  of  an 
egg.  two  tea-spoonfuls  of  sugar  and  one  half  of  salt. 

She  made  a  hole  in  the  flour,  poured  in  the  milk,  etc., 
and  stirred  them  tos^ether,  addinor  a  little  more  warm 
milk  till  it  was  a  thick  paste,  too  stiff  for  batter,  yet  not 
stiff  enough  for  dough,  — jitst  as  stiff  as  it  would  be 
stirred  ivith  a  spoon.  She  beat  it  for  five  minutes,  and 
then  set  it,  covered  with  a  cloth,  in  a  warm  place. 

The  hash  was  now  quite  brown  ;  and,  as  Molly  had  no 
one  to  send  to-day,  she  put  on  her  bonnet  and  took  it 
and  the  bread  and  piece  of  steak  to  Mrs.  Gibbs,  begging 
her  to  cook  and  eat  the  latter  for  herself. 

"  I  will  for  baby's  sake.  Thank  you !  Oh,  thank 
you  ! " 

At  two  o'clock  the  rolls  Molly  had  set  had  risen  to 
the  top  of  the  bowl,  which  had  been  half  full.  She  beat 
them  down  with  a  spoon  thoroughly,  covered  them  again 
and  put  them  to  rise,  and  in  an  hour  they  were  again 
light.  The  dough  was  beaten  down,  a  dozen  gem-pans 
were  greased,  and  a  scant  table-spoonful  of  the  paste  put 
into  each  ;  the  paste  was  so  thick  and  ropy  that  it  was 
difficult  to  take  up  with  a  spoon,  and  a  floured  knife 
helped  the  performance.  There  was  a  small  cupful 
left,  and  to  this  Molly  put  a  tea-spoonful  more  sugar,  and 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  83 

put  it  into  a  small  round  tin  pan,  that  had  once  evi- 
dently been  a  dipper ;  this  was  for  breakfast.  They 
were  all  now  put  to  rise,  and  in  half  an  hour  they  looked 
like  little  balloons  rising  out  of  the  pans.  They  were 
brushed  lightly  over  with  warm  milk  and  put  in  the 
oven  ;  the  rolls  took  fifteen  minutes,  the  breakfast-cake 
twenty-five,  to  bake. 

The  chicken  pie  Molly  had  made  for  Sunday  had  only 
been  half  eaten,  as  there  had  been  three  quarters  of  a 
pound  of  veal  in  it  as  well  as  the  chicken,  —  the  drum- 
sticks of  which,  by  the  way,  she  had  reserved  for  Mon- 
day morning's  breakfast,  prepared  in  the  following  way  : 

The  sinews  were  taken  out,  when  the  feet  were  cut 
off,  in  this  way  :  the  yellow  skin  only  was  cut,  the  sin- 
ews were  drawn  out,  the  bones  removed  and  their  places 
filled  with  a  forcemeat  made  of  veal  chopped  very  fine, 
with  an  equal  proportion  of  salt  pork.  Molly  had  bought 
enough  veal  on  Saturday  for  dinner  and  the  pie,  and  she 
took  a  very  small  piece  of  that  cooked  in  the  latter,  for 
her  forcemeat,  of  which  there  was  needed  only  two  scant 
table-spoonfuls  altogether,  and  just  enough  of  the  jelly 
to  moisten  it.  She  seasoned  the  forcemeat  rather  highly, 
then  filled  the  place  of  the  removed  bones  with  it,  taking 
care  not  to  pack  it  too  tight,  sewed  up  the  opening  (hav- 
ing left  a  good  piece  of  the  skin  of  the  thigh  on  the 
legs  when  removing  them),  wrapped  each  in  a  very  thin 
^lice  of  pork,  tied  them  round,  floured  them,  and^baked 
them  in  a  sharp  oven  twenty-five  minutes,  and  they  were 
brown  and  crisp  when  taken  up. 

To  make  the  pie  presentable  for  dinner  at  small  ex- 
pense she  had  ordered  a  dozen  large  oysters ;  the  oyster 
liquor  was  strained,  a  table-spoonful  of  butter  and  half 
one  of  flour  put  in  a  saucepan,  stirred  till  they  bubbled, 
then  the  cold  pie,  all  but  the  pastry,  added  to  it,  with 
part  of  the  oyster  liquor  and  the  oysters.  The  pastry 
was  cut  into  neat  pieces,  and  put  into  the  oven  to  get  hot, 
while  Molly  chopped  a  table-spoonful  of  parsley  very  fine. 

When  the  fricassee  came  to  the  boiling-point,  it  was 
carefully  stirred  round  and  the  parsley  sprinkled  in,  and 


84  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

then  the  oysters  were  left  five  minutes  to  plump.  While 
doing  this  she  directed  Marta  to  prepare  a  fondue.^  tell- 
ing her  to  put  a  table-spoonful  of  butter  and  one  of  flour 
in  a  small  saucepan,  stir  them  till  they  bubbled,  and  then 
to  add  a  gill  of  milk  to  them. 

"  That  is  really  thick  white  sauce,  you  see,  Marta  ;  you 
will  soon  know  of  how  many  things  a  good  white  sauce 
is  the  foundation.  Stir  to  prevent  burning.  Now  add 
to  it  the  two  ounces  of  cheese  I  told  you  to  grate,  and  a 
level  salt-spoonful  of  salt,  and  as  much  pepper  as  will  go 
on  the  end  of  the  salt-spoon.  Now  you  can  take  it  olf 
the  fire,  and  turn  it  into  a  bowl ;  beat  the  yolks  of  two 
eggs  light,  and  stir  them  to  it.  While  you  dish  and 
dress  the  cabbage,  and  take  up  the  potatoes  and  fricassee, 
I  will  beat  the  whites  of  three  eggs  solid." 

Molly  wanted  to  see  if  Marta  remembered  how  the 
cabbage  was  dressed  the  last  time,  and  left  her  to  it. 

When  the  vegetables  were  ready  the  fricassee  was 
taken  up,  the  chicken  and  veal  laid  in  the  centre  of  the 
dish,  the  oysters  round  it,  and  the  strips  of  pastry  at  the 
four  corners. 

Now  the  whites  of  eggs  were  stirred  into  the  fondue 
gently ;  it  was  poured  into  a  small  buttered  dish,  which 
it  only  half  filled,  and  was  put  to  bake  while  the  first 
part  of  the  dinner  w^as  eaten. 

"  This  will  be  done  as  soon  as  it  is  golden  brown,  and 
you  must  bring  it  to  table  at  once,  as  it  will  fall  if  left 
standing." 

Molly  meant  to  have  dinners  that  were  as  little  trou- 
ble as  possible  on  Monday,  feeling  that  as  it  was  wash- 
ing day  Marta  should  have  less  to  do  ;  therefore  the  bill 
of  fare  was  only 

Chicken  and  Oyster  Fricassee. 

Cabbage.  Potatoes. 

Fondue.  Peaches  and  Cream. 

She  had  also  bought  again  a  forequarter  of  lamb,  so 
that  she  might  see  how  far  Marta  had  profited  by  her 
instructions.     She   would  vary  the    cooking   somewhat, 


1 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  85 

but  the  cutting  and  arrangement  of  the  joint  would  be 
the  same.     She  noted  in  her  account-book  that  evening : 

Lamb, $1.10 

Cream, 10 

Oysters, .15 

Butter,  3  lbs., 75 

E<»-gs,  2  dozen, .50 

Peaches,  4  quarts, 20 

Total $2.80 

She  had  learnt  that  the  last  week  she  had  ordered  too 
little  butter  and  needed  three  pounds  instead  of  two. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

MOLLY   AND    MRS.    LENNOX    ON    THE    RUFFLE    QUESTION 
FRICASSEE    OF    MUTTON CABBAGE    AGAIN. 

Marta,  unpromising  as  her  appearance  was,  had 
shown  considerable  aptitude  for  cooking,  but  about  the 
house  generally  she  was  rather  hopeless.  She  had  suc- 
ceeded already  in  breaking  two  of  the  pretty  ornaments 
Molly  had  on  her  bureau,  and  therefore  the  latter  had  de- 
cided to  trust  her  to  touch  nothing  that  required  careful 
handling.  She  was  hopelessly  mixed,  too,  about  laying 
the  table.  The  breakfast  was  laid  as  for  dinner,  and  vice 
versa,  and  the  result  was  that  Molly  did  not  depend  on 
her  to  do  either,  it  being  easier  to  do  them  herself. 
When  she  had  kept  house  a  few  years  longer  she  learnt 
that  to  do  things  herself  was,  in  spite  of  the  proverb,  the 
way  not  to  get  them  done  well  by  any  one  else.  But 
the  trouble  was  so  slight  she  did  not  think  it  worth 
while  to  struirsle  against  it. 

She  meant  to  have  exactly  the  same  dinner  as  last 
Tuesday,  only  she  had  shoulder  of  lamb  roasted  instead 
of  breast.  She  stood  by  while  Marta  cut  the  shoulder 
out,  and  then  read  over  the  recipe  for  tomato  soup,  and 
lemon  pie,  pastry  for  which  was  left  from  the  chicken 
pie  made  on  Saturday,  and  then  left  her  to  cook  the  din- 
ner alone,  while  she  went  to  Mrs.  Lennox  according  to 
her  promise. 

She  found  that  lady  busy  ironing.  She  looked  white 
and  exhausted,  and  yet  there  was  a  large  pile  of  little 
clothes  all  trimmed  by  the  mother's  industrious  fingers, 
and,  alas,  trimmed  so  much. 

Yet  who  could  not  understand  a  mother's  desire  to 
see  her  children  dressed  prettily,  when  it  cost  only  a 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  87 

few  hours  more  time,  a  little  more  fatigue  to  make  them 
so?  and  how  few  are  able  to  blend  beauty  and  strict 
simplicity,  although  when  it  is  blended  the  result  is  more 
charming  than  any  dictate  of  fashion  ? 

"  Let  me  help  you  iron  for  an  hour.  We  need  not 
begin  cooking  just  yet,  if  you  saved  the  mutton  broth, 
as  there  is  no  gravy  to  make." 

"  Yes,  I  saved  it,  but  you  must  n't  think  of  ironing, 
—  please  don't." 

"  I  'd  like  it.  I  am  not  expert,  but  every  little  helps, 
and  your  instruction  will  do  me  good.  Let  me  go  on 
with  that  ruffle,  while  you  get  something  I  can't  do. 
My  Marta  is  ironing  to-day,  but  by  the  look  of  things 
I  'm  afraid  I  shall  have  to  learn,  myself,  in  order  to  teach 
her,  if  she  proves  teachable." 

*'  Ironing  I  have  learned  to  do  pretty  well  from  ne- 
cessity. I  only  wish  I  had  been  brought  up  to  do 
everything,  it  would  all  have  come  so  much  easier  to 
me." 

"  But  it  seems  to  me  you  can  do  so  many  things  well," 
said  Molly.  "  You  sew  so  beautifully,  and  this  ironing 
would  shame  most  people  who  have  been  brought  up  to 
do  it." 

"  Yes,  I  can  do  anything  I  make  up  my  mind  to  do  ; 
so  can  most  people,  I  think." 

"Yes,  and  that  is  why  if  an  educated  woman  is  forced 
into  unaccustomed  fields  of  work  she  does  it  better  than 
those  who  are  professedly  working-women,  —  better  in 
every  case  where  sinew  is  not  the  chief  desideratum." 

*'  Only,"  rejoined  Mrs.  Lennox,  "  she  works  with 
brains  and  hands  too,  and  that  is  why  the  work  tires  her 
so  much  more  than  those  who  work  mechanically." 

"  I  suppose  so.  I  am  a  strong  young  woman  and 
have  never  known  a  day's  sickness,  yet  I  am  tired  to 
death  after  a  couple  of  hours  in  the  kitchen,  while 
Marta,  who  has  been  doing  the  hard  work  and  has 
been  on  her  feet  hours  longer,  is  fresh,  and  has  to  go 
on  working  while  I  can  rest.  Yet  that  thought  makes 
me  very  tolerant  of  a  servant's  shortcomings,  seeing  my 
own  limitations." 


88  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Molly  was  busy  ironing  the  ruffle  of  a  child's  petticoat 
as  she  spoke,  and  Mrs.  Lennox  said,  partly  in  explana- 
tion perhaps  :  "  I  dare  say  you  think  I  'm  foolish  to  trim 
my  children's  clothes  and  make  myself  so  much  work ; 
but  if  you  use  cheap  materials  they  look  really  quite 
mean  without  it.  Mr.  Lennox  constantly  quotes  the 
beauty*of  simplicity,  and  points  to  the  pictures  of  English 
children,  as  if  T  could  n't  see  the  beauty  as  well  as  he. 
But  simplicity  is  costly  or  dowdy.  A  shilling  calico  or 
crossbar  made  '  Kate  Greenaway  '  fashion  would  look  a 
poverty-stricken  effort,  while  in  linen  or  fine  nainsook 
or  India  muslin  they  are  charming.  Flimsy  materials 
won't  hang  well  unless  they  are  trimmed  ;  at  the  same 
time  I  do  think  I  am  wearing  myself  out  for  the  sake, of 
appearance,  and  often  resolve  that  I  will  never  make 
or  iron  another  ruffle." 

Molly  had  no  experience  as  a  mother  of  a  family  to 
offer  poor  strenuous  Mrs.  Lennox,  whom  she  found  a 
much  brighter  and  more  sensible  woman  than  she  had 
at  first  supposed.  Yet  she  felt  that  the  ruffle  question 
was  a  very  serious  one. 

"  I  hardly  dare  say  anything  about  the  matter,  because 
I  have  so  little  experience,  but  I  do  feel  that  you  are 
not  strong  enough  to  do  such  ironing  as  this  ;  and  yet,  as 
you  say,  poor  material  plainly  made  looks  mean.  How 
would  it  be  to  give  up  wash  goods  for  every -day  use 
and  wear  dark  blue  flannel  for  a  while?  Even  wealthy 
people  do  that  at  the  seaside,  and  one  flannel  frock 
will  cost  no  more  than  the  four  calico  ones  that  take  its 
place." 

"  I  have  thought  of  it,  and  I  do  believe  I  will  make 
an  effort  another  summer;  but  when  you've  so  many 
children  the  frocks  come  down  from  one  to  another,  and 
the  only  one  I  have  ever  to  get  new  for  is  the  eldest ; 
but  next  year  I  '11  get  her  a  flannel  frock  and  see  how 
it  works  ;  but  though  light  flannel  is  really  cool,  she  will 
fancy  she  's  hot  if  she  sees  her  sisters  in  cotton." 

"Now,  if  you  '11  tell  me  where  your  cold  meat  is,  I 
will  show  you  how  the  cold  mutton  may  be  made  a  very 
nice  dish." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  89 

The  meat  and  broth  were  soon  before  her,  and  by  her 
direction  Mrs.  Lennox  peeled  and  sliced  two  large  onions 
and  put  them  on  to  boil. 

"  What  vegetables  did  you  intend  having  ?  " 

"  I  've  been  so  busy  ironing  that  I  did  not  think  of 
anything  but  potatoes,  though  Mr.  Lennox  does  like  a 
second  one." 

"  I  see  you  have  cabbage  in  the  garden,  and  corn." 

"  Yes,  but  the  corn  is  too  old,  and  the  cabbage  there 
is  no  time  for  ;  besides,  we  have  it  so  seldom,  because  I 
have  to  cook  it  iu  the  morning  so  that  the  terrible  smell 
may  be  out  of  the  house  before  Mr.  Lennox  comes  home, 
he  is  so  fastidious;  though,  I  must  say,  the  smell  of  cab- 
bage is  something  any  one  not  fastidious  might  object 
to." 

"  How  long  do  you  boil  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  two  hours,  sometimes  more." 

"Do  you  mind  my  boiling  it  to-night?" 

Mrs.  Lennox  stared.  She  had  some  confidence  in 
Molly,  yet  cabbage  for  dinner  —  and  it  was  now  after 
five  —  was  something  absurd. 

"  But  it  won't  be  done." 

"  Oh  yes,  I  see  the  kettle  is  full  and  boils.  I  am 
quite  sure  you  won't  believe  me  unless  I  show  you ;  but 
I  do  assure  you  there  is  no  unpleasant  odor  about  cab- 
bage boiled  as  the  English  boil  it,  and  in  Europe  it  is 
considered  the  most  wholesome  of  vegetables." 

Mrs.  Lennox  listened  politely. 

"  I  will  get  a  cabbage,  of  course."  She  left  the 
kitchen  for  the  purpose,  and  Molly  smiled.  She  knew 
Mrs.  Lennox  was  thinking  what  o?Jiers  less  polite  had 
said  to  her,  "  but  we  like  our  cabbage  very  well  done," 
as  if  Molly  must  prefer  it  half  raw. 

Molly  had  cut  from  the  bones  of  roast  and  boiled  mut- 
ton quite  a  large  dish  of  meat,  and  the  onions  being  ten- 
der she  poured  off  the  water  from  them,  put  to  them  a 
table-spoonful  of  butter  and  one  of  flour,  with  salt  and 
pepper.  As  she  was  stirring  them  about,  Mrs.  Lennox 
brought  in  the  cabbage,  and  cutting  away  leaves  and  part 


90  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

of  core  as  Molly  directed,  laid  it  in  water,  and  half  filled  a 
good-sized  pot  with  boiling  water  and  set  it  on  the  range. 

"  For  your  six-o'clock  dinner  it  must  be  well  drained 
and  go  into  that  water  at  half  past  five." 

"  I  obey  unquestioningly,  but  I  confess  to  strong 
doubts  as  to  whether  we  mean  the  same  thing  by  boiled 
cabbage  "  —  laughing. 

"  I  know  we  don't,"  said  Molly  maliciously.  "  Will 
you  look  at  this  ?  I  am  going  to  pour  in  a  half  pint  of 
the  broth,  which  I  find  you  did  flavor  with  vegetables." 

"  Yes,  I  'm  not  so  ungrateful  as  to  neglect  your  in- 
structions, after  the  success  of  our  Saturday  night's  din- 
ner." (It  should  be  mentioned  that  on  Sunday  Mrs. 
Lennox  had  come  to  tell  Molly  how  good  it  was,  and 
how  much  enjoyed.)  "  There  was  some  left,  very  little, 
and  a  little  kidney  from  yesterday's  breakfast ;  the  chil- 
dren did  not  take  any  of  that.  This  morning  I  warmed 
both  together  with  a  very  little  of  that  broth,  and  they 
made  another  good  breakfast,  and  I  felt  that  I  had 
achieved  something." 

"  That  was  a  splendid  idea ;  so  few  people  think  what 
two  or  three  odds  and  ends  put  together  will  do,  though 
each  may  be  so  little  as  to  be  almost  worthless  alone. 
Real  economical  management  lies  in  this  dovetailing  one 
thing  with  another.  This  is  what  English  and  Ameri- 
cans know  so  little,  and  the  French  so  well." 

"  I  see  that  sauce  is  now  like  onion  sauce,  but  less 
white." 

''  It  is  onion  sauce,  made  with  broth  instead  of  milk. 
Now  we  will  lay  the  meat  in  and  leave  it  to  steep  in  this 
sauce  at  the  back  of  the  range,  where  it  will  keep  at 
boiling-point  but  not  boil.  The  last  thing,  add  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  vinegar  or  a  few  capers." 

Now  the  cabbage. 

"  Yes,  I  'm  waiting  for  that  miracle,"  said  Mrs.  Len- 
nox, coming  with  it  in  the  colander,  after  shaking  the 
water  well  out.  "  I  shall  lay  the  blame  on  your  shoul- 
ders if  Mr.  Lennox's  olfactories  are  oflFended  ;  he  will 
forgive  you  anything,  since  through  you  we  have  lived 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  91 

better  and  spent  a  dollar  less  in  three  days.  There  is 
nothing  truer  than  that  the  way  to  a  man's  heart  is 
throuorh  his  stomach." 

"  Then  we  must  take  that  path,"  said  Molly  merrily. 
"  The  cabbage  needs  a  table-spoonful  of  salt  added  to 
the  water  and  a  scant  half  tea-spoonful  of  soda." 

"  I  shall  wait  and  see  the  success  of  the  cabbage," 
added  Molly,  laughing,  when  she  had  seen  it  boiling  fu- 
riously, "  although  the  meat  is  done,  so  I  may  iron  an- 
other piece  or  two." 

Both  took  up  their  irons,  and  after  a  few  minutes  Mrs. 
Lennox  exclaimed :  — 

"  It  is  positively  true  !  " 

"  What  is  ?  " 

"  That  cabbage  has  no  disagreeable  smell." 

"  No,  but  it  would  have  if  you  left  it  on  the  stove  ^o 
cook  slowly  for  an  hour  or  two.  It  is  the  long  slow 
cooking  in  little  water  that  ruins  it  and  all  green  vege- 
tables." 

Mrs.  Lennox  now  prepared  to  lay  the  cloth,  and  when 
she  returned  to  the  kitchen  Molly  had  taken  up  the  cab- 
bage and  pressed  it.  It  was  bright  pale  green,  streaked, 
where  the  heart  was,  with  creamy  white. 

'•"  Is  that  the  cabbage  ?  and  is  it  done  ?  " 

"  Try  for  yourself.  You  see  it  is  far  more  tender  than 
when  slowly  boiled,  and  is  marrowy  as  spinach." 

"  So  it  is  ;  but  how  did  you  find  it  out  ?  " 

"  I  did  n't.  I  was  told  by  an  English  lady.  I  had 
noticed  that  all  English  cooking-books  gave  twenty  min- 
utes to  half  an  hour  to  boil  cabbage,  while  ours  always  say 
two  hours.  And  I  noticed,  too,  it  was  never  alluded  to 
as  a  coarse,  rank  vegetable,  and  I  asked  an  explanation 
from  her,  and  she  also  told  me  she  dared  not  eat  cab- 
bage here,  for  fear  of  indigestion ;  but  I  never  yet  found 
any  one  who  believed  me  when  I  told  them  cabbage 
should  only  be  boiled  twenty-five  minutes,  nor  can  I 
induce  them  to  try  it.  They  all  think  that  I  prefer 
half-raw  cabbage.  Now  I  leave  you  to  dress  it  as  you 
like,  for  I  must  run  home." 


92  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  I  shall  just  put  pepper,  salt,  and  butter  on  it,  it  looks 
so  pretty, —  and  to  think  there  is  only  a  pleasant  odor  !  " 

When  Molly  reached  home  she  found  Marta  looking 
very  scared. 

"  What  is  wrong  ? "  asked  Molly,  sure  that  some 
disaster  had  occurred. 

Marta  silently  pointed  to  the  soup,  which  looked  like 
pink  curds  and  whey  ;  then,  turning  rather  sulkily  to  the 
stewed  tomatoes,  she  evidently  expected  to  be  scolded. 

Molly  said  nothing  for  the  moment,  but  opened  the 
oven  and  found  the  shoulder  of  lamb  beautifully  brown, 
and  other  things  doing  well ;  she  was  heartily  glad  there 
was  something  to  praise. 

"  You  've  made  a  mistake  with  the  soup,  Marta ;  but 
everything  else  looks  very  nice.  That  meat  is  done  as 
well  as  1  could  do  it.  Now,  in  the  first  place,  you  were 
in  too  great  a  hurry.  The  milk  and  tomato  were  only 
to  go  together  the  last  thing,  but  that  has  n't  caused  the 
milk  to  curdle.  You  cannot  have  read  your  recipe 
over  as  you  made  it,  and  have  forgotten  the  soda  ?  " 

"  No,  I  put  the  soda  in." 

Molly  felt  she  could  not  be  speaking  the  truth,  but 
when  she  tasted  tlie  soup,  found  slie  was. 

"  Well,  I  don't  understand  this.  Tell  me  exactly 
how  you  did  it." 

JMarta  rehearsed  her  movements  and  then  it  turned 
out  she  had  put  the  soda  in  last.,  after  the  tomato,  and  of 
course  it  had  curdled  before  that.  She  explained  this, 
told  her  to  strain  the  soup,  and  then  went  to  prepare  the 
table  quickly,  for  Harry  would  be  home  in  a  minute. 

On  the  whole,  although  the  soup  was  a  failure,  Molly 
was  satisfied  with  Marta's  first  unaided  efforts.  The 
lemon  pie,  in  spite  of  her  own  admonition  to  handle  the 
paste  very  little,  she  had  pressed  with  her  thumb  round 
the  edge,  to  make  it  smooth.,  no  doubt.  The  consequence 
was,  the  paste  was  nice  and  short,  but  bore  no  resem- 
blance to  puff  paste,  either  in  appearance  or  in  eating, 
but  JMolly  had  not  expected  anything  better,  and  re- 
served comments  until  the  next  time,  when  she  would 
again  show  her  how  to  use  pastry. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

PREPARING    TO    SAVE     WORK — BROWX    THICKENING 
WHITE    THICKENING  —  CARAMEL. 

Molly  had  resolved  to  take  the  first  opportunity  to 
prepare  two  or  three  articles  for  her  storeroooa  which 
would  simplify  work  for  Marta,  and  indeed  she  herself 
had  felt  the  lack  already  of  these  very  articles. 

Brown  thickening  saves  a  great  deal  of  standing  over 
the  fire  and  stirring  of  butter  and  flour  together,  when 
it  is  ready,  and  if  thickening  of  soup  or  stew  is  intrusted 
to  inexperienced  hands,  it  often  results  in  something 
very  different  from  what  it  should  be,  while  with  ready- 
prepared  thickening  {roux,  the  French  call  it)  a  blunder 
is  less  possible.  The  ironing  being  out  of  the  way  then 
on  Wednesday,  she  resolved  to  make  that  and  several 
other  things,  or  rather  to  superintend  while  Marta  car- 
ried out  her  orders. 

"  Marta,  put  half  a  pound  of  butter  in  a  small 
saucepan  or  bowl  to  melt,  and  while  it  is  doing  so, 
weigh  and  sift  half  a  pound  of  flour.  Skim  the  butter  ; 
now  pour  it  off  carefully  from  the  milk  that  has  settled 
at  the  bottom  into  another  small  thick  saucepan,  and 
stir  it  into  the  flour.  Keep  on  stirring  till  it  is  bright 
brown.  Watch  carefully  that  it  does  n't  burn  ;  that  is 
almost  dark  enough.  In  saying  '  bright  brown  '  I  mean  a 
rich,  pale  golden  brown,  not  dark  like  coffee.  Now  put 
it  into  this  little  marmalade  jar,  and  when  it  is  cold  lay  a 
piece  of  paper  on  the  top  and  put  it  away  for  use.  It 
will  keep  for  months,  and  whon  I  tell  you  to  thicken  any 
brown  gravy,  use  this  for  the  purpose  instead  of  fresh 
butter  and  flour.  The  flavor  is  richer  than  any  hastily 
made  thickening. 


94  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"Now  we  will  make  some  white  thickening.  Wash 
out  the  saucepan,  melt  the  butter,  half  a  pound,  just  in 
the  same  way.  Now  stir  in  it  half  a  pound  of  Hour ; 
keep  on  stirring  as  long  as  you  can,  before  it  begins  to 
change  color.  It  must  not  be  at  all  brown,  yet  the  flour 
must  be  well  cooked.  Therefore  stir  it  in  a  cooler 
spot  than  the  other.  When  the  flour  no  longer  smells 
raw,  put  it  into  a  small  bowl.  Cover  as  you  did  the 
other  and  put  it  away.  This  is  for  white  thickening, 
for  fricassee  or  to  dress  vegetables,  etc* 

"Now  wash  the  saucepan  again,  and  we  will  make 
some  caramel  for  coloring.  Pnt  in  it  a  cnp  of  sugar  and 
a  quarter  cup  of  water.  Let  them  boil  till  the  syrup  be- 
gins to  change  color,  then  watch  it  carefully.  Tilt  the 
saucepan  from  all  sides  so  that  it  may  get  equally  brown. 
The  moment  it  is  all  nearly  black,  but  before  it  chars  in 
the  least,  put  to  it  a  cup  of  boiling  water ;  take  care  of 
yourself,  for  it  sputters  a  good  deal.  Now  let  it  boil  till 
it  is  all  dissolved  and  like  very  dark  syrup.  A  tea-spoon- 
ful of  this,  or  less,  will  give  a  fine  color  to  gravy  or  soup 
if  not  dark  enough  in  itself.  It  will  also  color  icing  for 
cake  or  custard,  and  in  fact  is  always  very  useful." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MARKETING APPLE  PUDDING  —  LIVER  AND  BACON 

BRAISED    BEEF BOILING    PUDDINGS. 

When  Molly  reached  her  butcher's  next  morning, 
Wednesday,  she  was  surprised  to  find  Mrs.  Lennox 
there,  and  by  the  way  she  hastened  to  the  door  to  greet 
her  it  was  evident  she  was  waiting  for  her. 

"  I  knew  you  would  come  here,  and  I  am  going  to 
enlist  under  your  banner,  so  you  must  tell  me  what  to 
buy  and  how  to  cook  it." 

''  Oh  dear  me  !  "  cried  Molly  in  consternation. 

"  Do  you  mind  ?     I  beg  your  pardon,  I  ought  '*  — 

"  Oh,  it  is  not  that,  but  it 's  such  a  responsibility. 
Suppose  I  advise  something  you  don't  like?  " 

"  If  you  did  it  would  n't  be  very  dreadful,  but  I  don't 
believe  you  will.  I  only  know  we  've  enjoyed  every 
meal  since  Saturday,  and  I  'm  nearly  a  dollar  in  pocket." 

"  If  that  is  really  so  I  shall  have  something  to  sug- 
gest in  colder  weather.  You  see  I  know  nothing  of  your 
tastes." 

"  I  believe  we  like  a  good  many  things  we  don't  have, 
but  anything  outside  of  steak  and  chops  will  be  a  wel- 
come change." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  liver  and  bacon,  and,  as  it  is  so 
inexpensive,  have  a  nice  apple  pie  or  pudding  with  it. 
Do  you  like  liver  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  Mr.  Lennox  protests  I  do  not  cook  it 
right." 

''  Suppose  we  take  one  —  a  lamb's  liver  "  — 

"  Lamb's  ?     I  always  get  calf's." 

"  I  think  you  will  find  this  quite  as  nice  and  less  ex- 
pensive, —  and  I  believe  I  will  take  one  myself.     Harry 


96  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

used  to  anathematize  the  liver  at  breakfast  in  the  board- 
ing-house so  vigorously,  for  being  cooked  in  thick  slices 
like  steak  and  whitey-brown  in  color,  that  I  think  he 
will  enjoy  it  now." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  is  the  way  mine  generally  is.  Now 
what  shall  I  get  for  to-mori-ow  "i  " 

"  If  you  had  not  had  mutton  so  lately,  I  would  sug- 
gest Irish  stew  ;  but  what  do  you  say  to  a  pot-roast  of 
beef,  —  or,  to  be  finer,  we  w'ill  call  it  *  braised  beef '  ?  " 

"  My  dear,  we  have  nothing  but  mutton  and  beef,  so 
an  Irish  stew  will  be  very  good;  and  I  certainly  want 
to  know  how  to  make  it  well." 

"  Still,  I  advise  the  small  pot-roast  to-morrow  and  an 
Irish  stew  later." 

'•Very  well,  either  will  be  good.  Now  what  meat 
shall  I  get  for  it  ?  " 

"Three    pounds    of    thick    flank  —  of    beef." 

The  butcher  handed  out  a  thin  piece  nearly  all  fat. 

"  No,  no,  that  is  not  the  part ;  have  you  not  the  flank 
with  a  broad  piece  of  lean  running  through  it?"  asked 
Molly. 

The  butcher  now  produced  a  piece  of  meat  about  four 
inches  thick,  three  of  which  were  lean. 

"  That  is  it." 

It  was  ten  cents  a  pound.  By  Molly's  direction  Mrs. 
Lennox  got  also  half  a  pound  of  fat  bacon,  and  her  ex- 
penditure was :  — 

Lamb's  liver 10 

Bacon .07 

Beef 30 

.47 

"  Now  we  have  meat  for  two  davs,  for  about  what 
I  have  always  paid  for  one." 

"  And  you  '11  have  something  for  breakfast,  you  '11 
find." 

"  The  great  thing  will  be  the  variation  of  our  old 
routine,  and  the  money-saving  ;  but  can't  you  just  tell  me 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  97 

how  they  should  be  cooked,  instead  of  coming  your- 
self ?  " 

"■  Yes,  I  will  write  out  the  recipes  and  send  Marta 
with  th«in." 

"And  the  apple  pudding." 

"  Ah,  yes,  you  have  suet  in  the  house  ?  Well,  make  a 
crust  exactly  as  you  did  for  the  pot-pie ;  roll  it  out  half 
an  inch  thick.  Grease  a  bowl  well  and  lay  the  paste  in 
it,  letting  what  is  to  spare  hang  over  the  sides  ;  fill  it  with 
pared  and  cored  apples  cut  small,  and  put  over  them  two 
table-spoonfuls  of  sugar  and  a  little  water.  Wet  the 
border  of  the  paste  and  gather  up  the  overhanging  sides, 
pinching  them  all  together,  so  that  there  is  no  chance 
for  juice  to  escape.  Then  dip  the  centre  of  a  cloth  in 
boiling  water,  flour  it  and  put  it  over  the  pudding,  tie  it 
firmly  with  string  just  under  the  flare  of  the  bowl,  so 
that  it  will  not  slip  up ;  bring  the  four  corners  of  the 
cloth  up  over  the  top  of  the  pudding  and  tie  them. 

"  Before  you  begin  to  make  the  pudding,  set  a  pot, 
that  is  large  enough  to  boil  it  in,  on  the  stove,  half  full 
of  water;  when  it  is  fast  boiling,  put  the  pudding  in  and 
let  it  boil  up  quickly  again,  and  boil  for  an  hour  and  a 
half  without  stopping." 

"  But  I  suppose  the  water  must  not  cover  over  the 
top  of  it." 

"  Oh,  indeed,  yes ;  so  long  as  the  water  bolls  there  is 
no  danger  of  its  getting  into  the  pudding.  As  soon  as  it 
stops  it  begins  to  soak ;  that  is  why  so  many  boiled  pud- 
dings are  heavy  and  soggy." 

"  Well,  I  never  knew  that.  I  knew  they  were  often 
heavy,  but  not  why.  I  rather  supposed  it  was  because 
they  were  boiled  in  too  much  water,  and  so  it  got  into 
them." 

They  had  talked  along  the  quiet  village  streets,  until 
Molly's  door  was  reached,  and  half  an  hour  afterwards 
Marta  ran  across  the  road  with  the  two  following  rec- 
ipes :  — 

PoT-RoAST  OR  Braised  Beef.  —  Remove  the  skin 
and  some  of  the  fat  from  the  flank  of  beef  (put  both  in 


98  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

the  oven  with  half  a  pint  of  water  to  "  try  out "),  sprinkle 
the  beef  with  two  level  tea-spoonfuls  of  salt  and  half  a 
salt-spoonful  of  pepper,  a  table-spoonful  of  finely-chopped 
parsley,  if  you  have  it,  and  a  scant  tea-spoonful  of  thyme, 
also,  if  you  have  it.  Roll  up  the  beef  tightly  with  these 
flavorings  inside,  flour  the  meat  and  put  in  a  thick  sauce- 
pan or  pot  with  a  wine-glass  of  vinegar  and  two  cloves. 
Cover  very  closely,  and  if  the  lid  of  the  saycepan  does 
not  fit  well  put  a  clean  cloth  over  it.  Let  it  so  remain 
till  nearly  browned,  turning  it  about  occasionally.  Have 
ready  a  carrot  and  half  an  onion  sliced,  and  when  the 
meat  has  been  slowly  cooking  nearly  two  hours,  put 
them  to  it  with  half  a  pint  of  boiling  water  and  a  dessert- 
spoonful of  Worcestershire  or  any  nice  table  sauce,  if 
you  have  it,  and  simmer  very  slowly  two  hours  longer ; 
then  take  up  the  meat,  remove  the  strings,  carefully 
skim  all  fat  from  the  gravy  which  pour  over  it. 

In  summer  put  a  pint  of  young  peas  into  the  gravy ; 
fried  potatoes  are  very  good  with  this  dish. 

N.  B.  You  will  observe  I  have  said  with  regard  to 
some  of  the  flavorings  ''' if  you  have  it.""  I  mean  by  that 
they  are  not  necessary,  but  a  great  improvement;  and, 
as  they  cost  very  little,  if  you  want  plain  dishes  made 
savory  it  is  economical  to  have  them  always  in  the 
house. 

Liver  and  Bacon.  —  Wash  the  liver,  dry  it,  cut  it 
with  a  sharp  knife  into  slices  the  third  of  an  inch  thick. 
Dip  each  slice  in  flour.  Cut  some  bacon  in  thin  slices, 
remove  the  rind  and  fry  it  crisp  but  don't  burn  it ;  then 
lay  in  the  liver,  only  enough  to  cover  the  bottom  of  the 
pan ;  when  nicely  brown  turn  each  slice ;  brown  the 
other  side  and  take  it  up  on  a  hot  dish  with  the  bacon 
around  it.  Now  if  the  fat  is  not  burned  (and  to  prevent 
that,  it  should  be  fried  where  the  fire  is  good  but  not  too 
fierce)  stir  into  it  a  scant  dessert-spoonful  of  flour,  mash- 
ing all  the  brown  bits  and  lumps  with  the  back  of  a 
spoon ;  when  it  is  all  Sifne  brown,  have  a  cup  of  boiling 
water  ready,  and  pour  it  quickly  into  the  pan.  Stir  till 
smooth.     Let  it  boil  down  till  thick  as  good  cream,  sea- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  99 

son  with  pepper  and  salt  and  a  tea-spoonful  of  vinegar 
or  Worcestershire  sauce,  and  pour  it  over  the  liver. 

If  by  chance  the  fat  was  burned  pour  it  out  of  the 
pan,  for  it  would  make  a  hitter,  black  gravy,  and  spoil 
the  whole.  Put  into  the  pan  a  dessert-spoonful  of  but- 
ter and  one  of  flour,  let  them  get  quite  brown  stirring 
the  while,  when  proceed  with  water  as  before. 

If  you  have  ready-browned  flour  in  the  house  it  saves 
standing  over  the  fire  waiting  for  it  to  brown  in  the  fat 
or  butter,  and  as  you  may  like  to  prepare  some  I  send 
directions.  Of  course  whitey-brown  gravy  is  very  disa- 
greeable. 

Brown  Flour,  for  thickening  gravy  quickly.  Sift 
half  a  pound  of  flour  into  a  dripping-pan  and  set  it  in  a 
hot  oven.  Look  at  it  occasionally  and  stir  it  well,  tak- 
ing care  it  does  not  burn  ;  when  it  is  the  color  of  coffee 
that  is  half  milk,  or  pale  cafe  au  lait  color,  take  it  out 
and  put  it  in  a  tin  for  use.  You  will  require  a  third 
more  of  this  to  thicken  than  of  raw  flour. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ROLLS  —  BAKED    LIVER  —  CROQUETTES  —  WHAT    WAS 
THE    MATTER    WITH    THEM HOTCH-POTCH. 

Marta  had  twice  made  bread  very  satisfactorily,  and 
Molly  thought  she  might  now  show  her  how  to  make 
plain  rolls  ;  therefore  she  had  told  her  to  save  out  a 
piece  of  her  bread  dough,  about  a  pint  bowl  full,  and 
when  she  returned  from  taking  the  recipes  to  Mrs. 
Lennox,  Molly  was  ready  to  show  her  how  to  make 
them. 

It  was  ten  o'clock,  and  Molly  reckoned  they  would  be 
warm  for  dinner  if  made  now. 

''  These  are  going  to  be  quite  plain  rolls;  when  you 
succeed  in  these  we  will  try  finer  ones.  Get  a  good 
table-spoonful  of  butter,  —  lard  would  do,  but  I  use  it  as 
little  as  possible  for  health's  sake  —  put  it  near  the  fire 
to  warm  a  very  little ;  add  to  the  dough  two  tea-spoonfuls 
of  sugar;  now  the  butter  is  pliable,  work  it  in;  it  will 
take  five  minutes'  constant  kneading  to  make  the  butter 
and  dough  quite  smooth.  Now  you  see  it  is  softer  than 
bread  dough  ;  if  a  crisp  crust  is  wanted,  work  in  gradu- 
ally a  little  more  flour,  almost  a  table-spoonful,  —  if  the 
weather  is  cold  have  it  warm ;  if  a  soft  crust  is  pre- 
ferred leave  it  as  it  is.  Put  the  dougrh  to  rise  in  a  warm 
place  behind  the  stove,  but  not  too  hot,  or  it  may  sour ; 
in  from  two  to  three  hours  it  will  have  risen  again  very 
light ;  work  it  over  thoroughly  for  three  or  four  min- 
utes till  it  is  again  as  small  as  now,  and  set  it  to  rise 
again,  and  when  light  come  and  tell  me. 

"This  evening  we  shall  have  bisque  of  oysters,  baked 
liver,  and  croquettes,  and  you  can  make  a  peach  pud- 
ding by  your  recipe,  but  I  want  you  to  use  cold  lamb 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  101 

for  croquettes  ;  I  will  prepare  it  before  I. go  out  of  the 
kitchen  so  that  it  will  be  ready  whenever  you  are,  and 
remember  if  you  forget  anything  to  come  to  me." 

Molly  cut  the  meat  from  the  cold  shoulder  of  lamb, 
removed  every  bit  of  skin  and  gristle,  and  then  chopped 
it  very  fine ;  she  had  not  left  that  to  Marta  because 
she  might  not  be  careful  enough.  She  also  flavored  the 
meat  by  using  a  bit  of  onion  as  large  as  a  dime  chopped 
till  as  fine  as  sand,  and  a  tea-spoonful  of  parsley,  also 
chopped  fine,  and  a  pinch  of  thyme  ;  these  were  mixed 
with  the  lamb,  and  Marta  was  told  to  do  the  rest  as  if 
makina^  croquettes  of  chicken. 

Molly  intended  asking  her  friend,  Mrs.  Welles,  to 
come  and  stay  a  week  with  her  soon,  and  as  that  would 
entail  a  little  extra  expense,  she  meant  to  economize 
somewhat  for  a  week  or  two ;  therefore  she  omitted 
some  little  items  from  her  bill  of  fare,  and  substituted 
others  that  would  be  cheaper.  This  interfered  very 
slightly  with  her  plan  of  letting  Marta  do  alone  nearly 
all  that  she  herself  had  done  the  last  week. 

The  girl  would  be  able  to  make  croquettes  with  one 
meat  as  easily  as  another,  and  although  for  the  sake  of 
practice  she  meant  to  repeat  the  dishes,  she  did  not  care 
to  have  them  in  the  same  order.  The  bisque  of  oysters 
she  would  have  in  place  of  clams  for  the  sake  of  variety 
and  of  showing  Marta  that  the  principle  was  the  same  in 
both,  and  that  another  time  she  might  substitute  lobster 
instead  of  either,  and  yet  the  process  would  not  change. 
Another  thing  she  had  in  mind  was  that  as  the  breast  of 
lamb  she  had  for  Thursday  would  be  a  rather  slim  din- 
ner, the  oyster  patties,  of  which  Harry  was  extrava- 
gantly fond,  would  make  up. 

Soon  after  one  o'clock  Marta  came  to  say  that  the 
rolls  had  risen,  been  worked  down,  and  were  now  light 
enough,  she  thought,  to  push  down. 

When  she  went  into  the  kitchen  she  found  the  doufh 
just  about  as  light  as  bread  should  be. 

"  No,  Marta,  this  is  not  light  enough.  Rolls  should 
rise  a  great  deal  lighter  than  bread.     They  will  need  to 


102  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

rise  another  half  hour  —  but  as  I  see  the  oysters  are 
here,  I  will  use  some  of  them  for  patties  for  to-morrow's 
dinner." 

Molly  took  a  third  of  the  pint  of  oysters,  and  then 
half  a  gill  of  the  liquid,  and  scalded  both  for  a  minute ; 
then,  taking  out  the  oysters,  added  an  equal  quantity  of 
milk  to  the  liquor,  and  in  another  small  saucepan  put 
two  tea-spoonfuls  of  butter,  the  same  of  flour ;  and,  stir- 
ring them  together  till  they  bubbled,  she  poured  milk 
and  oyster  liquid  to  them,  stirring  till  they  were  quite 
smooth.  She  seasoned  this  sauce  and  then  dropped  the 
oysters,  each  one  cut  in  four,  into  it.  She  did  not)  mean 
to  use  them  to-day,  but  the  oysters  kept  raw  would  not 
be  good  ;  cooked  in  this  way  they  would  be  as  good  as 
when  fresh. 

The  rolls  being  now  light  Molly  stuck  her  fingers  two 
or  three  times  downward  into  the  light  mass,  and  it 
sank  under  them. 

"  This  is  what  you  are  to  do,  Marta,  when  I  tell  you 
to  ^  push  the  rolls  down ; '  do  this  twice  or  three  times 
after  they  have  been  twice  thoroughly  worked  over  — 
take  notice,  only  lightly  stick  your  fingers  in,  to  let  out 
air  ;  don't  knead  them  at  all,  nor  try  to  make  them 
smooth  ;  leave  them  just  so ;  they  come  up  again  very 
rapidly  after  the  first  time,  and  this  is  the  secret  of  hav- 
ing rolls  of  a  close,  exceedingly  light  texture,  that  will 
have  no  doughy  inside." 

An  hour  later  the  rolls  had  risen  and  been  pushed 
down  three  times,  and  Molly,  after  working  them  all 
over  again,  took  a  little  piece  of  butter  on  her  hand, 
broke  off  bits  of  the  dough  as  big  as  an  English  walnut, 
and  rolled  them  between  her  buttered  palms,  and  then 
dropped  each  on  to  a  greased  tin  two  inches  apart. 
They  were  set  to  rise  till  they  would  be  like  small  bal- 
loons—  each  quite  double  the  size  it  was  when  first 
made.  They  would  perhaps  take  three  quarters  of  an 
hour  to  rise,  but  Molly  cautioned  Marta  that  she  could 
not  go  by  time  in  bread-making,  for  that  differed  so 
constantly ;  in  summer  it  would  be  less,  and  in  winter 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  103 

more ;  the  degree  of  heat  in  the  kitchen  would  make 
the  greatest  difference ;  also,  some  kinds  of  flour  rose 
more  quickly  than  others. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  Molly  had  forgotten  Mrs. 
Gibbs ;  she  had  her  and  her  family  in  mind  when  she  or- 
dered the  liver.  The  neck  end  of  her  lamb  this  week 
she  was  going  to  make  into  a  nourishing  Scotch  broth, 
and  out  of  the  dollar,  of  which  she  had  spent  only  fif- 
teen cents  as  yet,  she  bought  ten  pounds  of  rye  flour 
and  five  of  white. 

This  would  provide  bread  for  a  month,  and  as  the 
poor  woman  was  yet  so  weak,  Molly  meant  to  have  it 
made  at  her  own  house  for  the  present. 

When  the  rolls  were  light  enough  to  bake,  they  were 
brushed  over  with  white  of  Qgg.  The  chicken  pie  on 
Saturday,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  only  taken  part  of 
the  white  left  from  the  forcemeat  balls  ;  the  rest  was 
beaten  with  a  tea-spoonful  of  water  and  set  in  the  ice- 
box for  just  such  an  occasion  as  this,  and  was  now 
used  to  brush  over  the  rolls. 

While  the  rolls  baked,  Molly  prepared  the  liver  for 
the  dinner,  and  told  Marta  to  make  the  Scotch  hotch- 
potch for  the  Gibbs  family. 

*'  Cut  the  meat  up  in  pieces ;  put  it  in  a  saucepan  with 
two  onions,  half  a  small  cup  of  Scotch  barley,  a  carrot 
and  a  turnip,  a  quart  and  pint  of  water,  and  a  tea-spoon- 
ful and  a  half  of  salt ;  in  an  hour  shred  up  a  quarter  of 
a  cabbage  and  add  it.  Let  it  all  simmer  for  two  hours 
and  a  half,  or  until  the  barley  is  very  soft." 

Molly,  while  Marta  was  doing  this,  washed  and  dried 
the  liver,  cut  about  a  dozen  strips  of  fat  pork  as  thick 
as  her  little  finger,  and  with  a  narrow  knife  made  many 
incisions  through  the  liver  and  then  inserted  the  pork. 
When  all  was  done  she  floured  it,  sprinkled  a  little  salt 
over  it  and  it  was  ready  for  the  oven. 

When  the  liver  was  cooked  —  it  took  just  half  an 
hour  in  a  hot  oven  —  it  was  taken  up,  put  on  a  hot  dish, 
and  a  half  cup  of  boiling  water  poured  into  it ;  round 
the  pan  was  a  great  deal  of  thick  glaze;  this  was  all 


104  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 

rubbed  off  and  dissolved  in  the  gravy  ;  a  tea-spoonful  of 
Worcestershire  sauce  was  added  and  a  pinch  of  salt,  and 
then  the  gravy  was  poured  over  the  liver. 

The  dish  was  a  great  success.  Harry,  without  an 
idea  that  it  had  cost  but  ten  cents,  cut  it  in  slices  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  which,  where  mottled  with  the 
pork  and  the  rich  brown  gravy,  gave  quite  an  air  to  the 
homely  viand.  The  bisque  of  oysters  Marta  had  man- 
aged very  nicely,  and  also  the  peach  pudding,  all  but  the 
foaming  sauce,  which  Molly  had  shown  her  how  to 
make  ;  it  was  a  good  sauce,  but  did  not  foam  ;  the  only 
real  fault  was  with  the  croquettes,  which  were  like  sau- 
sage meat  and  not  at  all  creamy.  Molly  made  no  com- 
ments at  the  time,  knowing  that  a  much  more  experi- 
enced cook  often  made  no  better,  but  next  morning  she 
meant  to  find  out  where  the  mistake  was. 

"  Did  you  notice,  Marta,  that  the  croquettes  last  night 
were  not  quite  right  ? " 

"  Yes,  they  were  harder,  but  I  went  exactly  by  the 
directions." 

*'  I  want  you  to  tell  me  just  what  you  did,  and  then 
we  will  see  where  the  mistake  came  in.  You  managed 
everything  else  so  nicely." 

Marta  repeated  the  recipe  correctly  and  Molly  was 
puzzled. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  did  just  as  you  say  ?  " 

<*  Yes,  ma'am." 

"  Then  show  me  how  you  measured  half  a  pint." 

*'  Ah,  there  it  is ;  you  have  really  only  a  little  more 
than  a  gill.     Did  you  measure  like  that  yesterday  ?  " 

Marta  confessed  that  she  had,  and  the  puzzle  was 
solved,  and  more  understandable  still  when  Molly  saw 
what  she  called  a  table-spoonful  of  flour  ;  it  was  really 
near  two,  for  she  had  used  the  large  kitchen  basting- 
spoon,  and  used  it  heaped. 

"  Now,  Marta,  I  want  to  tell  you  something.  You 
are  anxious  to  cook  like  the  man  cook  you  once  knew  ; 
that  is,  you  want  everything  you  do  to  turn  out  always 
right,  and  they  will  only  do  that  by  your  being  very  ex- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  105 

act  about  measuring  and  weighing.  A  tea -spoonful 
more  or  less  seems  a  trifle,  and  yet  it  will  spoil  many- 
things.  Remember,  if  you  have  a  recipe  that  calls  for  a 
table-spoonful,  it  means  just  that,  if  the  recipe  is  good 
for  anything,  and  half  a  pint  is  exactly  that  measure 
full^  not  partly  full. 

"  Gouffe,  the  celebrated  French  cook,  who  wrote  a  re- 
markable book  for  other  cooks,  was  so  particular  that 
be  explains  exactly  how  much  he  means  by  weight 
when  he  says  '  a  pinch  of  salt,'  and  he  directs  one  to 
weigh  each  carrot  and  turnip  for  soup  till  one's  eye  is 
accustomed  to  the  sizes." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


RYE   BREAD OYSTER   PATTIES  —  KNUCKLE  OF    VEAL 

A    LA    MAITRE    d'h6tEL A    SAVORY    DISH. 


Molly  knew  the  virtues  of  rye  bread  ;  and  in  per- 
fection, as  had  she  eaten  it  once  in  her  life,  she  had  en- 
joyed it  much,  —  it  had  been  so  sweet,  so  light,  and 
seemed  to  have  the  quality  of  never  getting  stale.  She 
knew  that  to  some  people  rye  bread  represented  a  loaf 
that  cut  like  liver,  that  was  sweet  in  flavor,  but  in 
wheaten  bread  would  have  been  called  heavy ;  and  to 
others  it  was  a  sour,  dark  bread,  much  approved  by 
Germans.  But  that  rye  bread  need  be  neither  of  these 
she  knew  well,  but  she  had  no  recipe.  Then  she  re- 
membered Mrs.  Merit  and  her  experience ;  perhaps  she 
could  help  her  with  rye  bread,  as  she  was  a  famous 
economist. 

She  therefore  paid  a  visit  to  her  neighbor,  and  after 
a  respectable  amount  of  small  talk  broached  her  subject. 

"  Rye  bread  !  laws  yes  —  when  my  family  was  large 
we  had  it,  because  it  don't  cost  more  than  half  as  much 
as  wheat  flour  does,  and  it 's  as  easy  to  make  as  mush. 
You  just  make  a  thick  batter  of  one  third  white  flour, 
two  thirds  rye ;  stir  into  each  quart  two  tea-spoonfuls  of 
baking-powder  —  and  bake." 

This  was  a  new  recipe  to  Molly,  and  she  meant  to  try 
it  some  day ;  but  for  the  Gibbs  family,  she  was  satisfied 
that  a  properly  yeast-leavened  bread  would  be  more 
wholesome,  and  she  therefore  resolved  to  see  what  she 
could  do.  She  had  quite  a  library  of  cook-books,  but 
rye  bread  for  general  use  did  not  seem  to  be  in  them. 
On  thinking  it  over  she  could  n't  see  why  rye  bread 
should  not  be  made  in  the  same  way  as  white.     Finally 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  107 

she  went  to  work  to  make  it  exactly  as  white  bread, 
making  a  sponge  with  a  pint  of  white  flour  and  half  a 
cake  of  yeast,  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  warm  water,  a  table- 
spoonful  of  sugar  and  two  tea-spoonfuls  of  salt.  When 
this  was  as  full  of  holes  as  honeycomb,  she  put  to  it  two 
pints  of  rye  flour  and  used  as  much  warm  water  as 
would  make  all  into  a  soft  dough.  She  kneaded  it,  but 
began  to  understand  why  it  was  usually  stirred,  for  it 
stuck  to  her  hands  like  bird-lime,  and  to  use  flour 
enough  to  free  them  would,  she  knew,  spoil  her  bread. 
She  worked  on,  regardless  of  stickiness,  and  when  it 
was  mixed  divided  the  dough  in  three,  put  it  in  tins  to 
rise,  and  when  each  was  double  the  first  size,  they  were 
baked  in  a  very  moderate  oven  one  hour. 

When  they  were  done  Molly  saw  she  had  attained 
the  secret  of  her  friend's  bread,  for  it  was  sweet, 
spongy,  and  with  a  tender  crust.  She  kept  one  loaf  for 
her  own  use  and  sent  the  rest  to  Mrs.  Gibbs,  with  the  re- 
mains of  the  liver  made  into  savory  collops,  as  follows  : 
It  was  chopped  fine,  and  an  equal  quantity  of  bread 
crumbs  added,  a  quarter  tea-spoonful  of  powdered  marjo- 
ram, half  one  of  thyme  and  pepper  and  salt ;  to  these 
were  put  a  few  scraps  of  cold  fried  bacon  and  a  little 
cold  ham  left  from  Wednesday  morning's  breakfast,  both 
chopped  fine.  The  mince  was  just  moistened  with 
broth  (from  boiling  down  lamb  bones  with  an  onion), 
and  a  table-spoonful  of  flour  stirred  with  it.  Molly  then 
made  it  into  three  good-sized  balls,  put  them  into  a 
small,  deep  pan,  poured  in  the  rest  of  the  broth,  and  put 
them  to  bake  in  the  hot  oven  for  half  an  hour. 

It  may  be  thought  Molly  was  taking  great  trouble  for 
Mrs.  Gibbs.  She  knew  that,  and  had  she  had  it  in  her 
power  to  give  money  enough  to  be  of  substantial  service 
to  a  destitute  family,  would  not  have  done  it.  In  this 
case,  as  with  her  husband's  income,  she  looked  on  her 
time  as  money,  since  by  it  she  could  make  a  little  money 
go  far.  A  dollar  given  to  Mrs.  Gibbs  would  have  done 
little  —  bought  bread  for  a  week,  perhaps,  and  a  meal  or 
two  besides ;  the  liver  sent  round  to  her  cold  would  have 


108  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

been  eaten  so,  and  been  miserable  and  insufficient  for  a 
dinner ;  the  neck  of  lamb  the  same ;  but  by  the  time,  not 
an  hour  after  all,  she  had  double  the  value  of  what  she 
could  give,  and  the  bread  she  would  make  from  the  flour 
would  last  three  times  as  long  as  baker's  bread.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  she  went  to  the  house  where  she  bought 
her  cream  and  asked  what  they  did  with  their  skimmed 
milk,  and  was  told  they  made  it  into  pot-cheese  when 
they  had  much,  but  half  the  time  they  gave  it  away ; 
she  then  obtained  a  promise  that  they  would  give  Mrs. 
Gibbs  two  quarts  a  day  if  she  sent  for  it.  Being  sure 
of  milk,  Molly  felt  that  the  best  thing  she  could  do  now 
was  to  buy  ten  pounds  of  corn  meal  and  send  it  to  them 
for  mush.  This  exhausted  the  dollar,  and  beyond  mak- 
ing the  bread  and  sending  an  occasional  meal,  to  be  con- 
cocted out  of  something  that  would  not  much  enlarge 
her  own  expenses,  she  knew  that  she  could  do  nothing, 
but  did  not  despair  of  interesting  others.      ^ 

Molly  did  not  want  to  let  her  little  lecture  on  cro- 
quettes grow  cold  in  Marta's  mind,  and  therefore  meant 
to  have  them  again  very  soon.  To  that  end  she  made  a 
tour  of  the  butcher-shops  in  Greenfield,  of  which  there 
were  several,  in  order  to  find,  if  she  could,  a  knuckle  of 
veal.  This  would  kill  two  or  three  birds  with  one  stone. 
Veal  is  not  plentiful  in  September,  yet  is  sometimes  in 
market,  and  for  the  knuckle  she  knew  she  would  have 
to  pay  very  little,  for  in  this  country  it  is  looked  upon 
as  only  good  for  stock,  while  in  Europe  it  is  very 
choice.  She  was  fortunate  enough  to  get  one ;  it  was 
quite  large,  that  is,  the  meat  was  not  cut  too  far  down, 
and  because  of  this  extra  size  she  paid  twenty  cents  for 
it  instead  of  the  usual  fifteen  cents.  She  also  bought  a 
piece  of  salt  pork  (very  sweet,  which  she  could  tell  by 
the  pinkish  fat)  for  twenty  cents,  and  four  lamb's  kid- 
neys for  breakfast  for  five  cents.  So  surprised  was  the 
Greenfield  butcher  at  her  wanting  them  that  at  first  he 
had  seemed  to  think  they  were  hardly  worth  a  price ; 
evidently  he  did  not  know  that  they  were  quite  a  dainty 
in  the  fashionable  markets  of  New  York,  and  as  Harry 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  109 

would  not  eat  beef  kidney,  but  was  very  fond  of  others, 
she  made  up  her  mind  to  have  them  often. 

The  knuckle  of  veal  was  to  be  boiled  the  next  day  very 
gently,  in  just  water  enough  to  cover  it,  for  two  hours, 
with  a  small  turnip,  a  bay  leaf,  and  a  carrot,  an  onion, 
and  a  bouquet  of  sweet  herbs.  Tlie  pork  was  to  be 
cooked  in  the  same  water,  and  served  to  eat  with  the 
veal,  which  would  have  a  rich  parsley  sauce  poured  over 
it,  fried  potatoes  and  fried  smelts. 

Molly  thought  it  a  good  plan  to  have  fried  fish,  instead 
of  soups,  or  boiled  fish,  every  day  when  the  rest  of  the 
dinner  was  boiled. 

From  the  veal  there  would  be  the  stock  for  soup,  and, 
as  there  would  be  more  meat  than  would  be  eaten,  what 
was  left  would  make  croquettes.  She  did  not  mean  to 
have  them  for  dinner  so  soon  again,  but  for  breakfast. 
The  practice  for  Marta  was  what  she  wanted. 

Molly  had  some  "  rough  puff  paste  "  which  she  in- 
tended to  use  for  the  oyster  patties.  She  rolled  it  out 
half  an  inch  thick,  then  with  a  biscuit-cutter  cut  several 
rounds  ;  these  she  put  one  on  another  three  deep,  and  on 
each  pressed  a  smaller  biscuit-cutter  half  way  through. 
She  had  cut  twelve  rounds  of  paste,  which  made  four 
patties  (three  rounds  or  layers  to  the  patty),  and  each 
had  a  circle  (cut  with  a  small  cutter)  on  the  top  layer. 
These  were  put  on  a  baking-tin  and  brushed  over  with 
a  feather  dipped  in  white  of  egg,  and  put  in  the  oven, 
which  was  very  hot,  yet  not  likely  to  scorch.  To  try 
the  heat  Molly  put  in  her  hand  and  began  to  count  sec- 
onds ;  when  she  had  counted  twenty  she  was  forced  to 
take  out  her  hand,  and  knew  the  oven  was  right. 

While  she  waited  for  them  to  bake,  she  proceeded  to 
finish  the  oysters  for  filling,  first  telling  Marta  to  beat 
up  the  remaining  white  of  egg  with  a  little  water,  and 
put  it  away  for  use. 

The  yolk  was  just  what  was  needed  for  the  oysters. 
She  strained  them  from  the  sauce,  which  she  put  on  to 
boil ;  then  when  quite  boiling  and  smooth  she  dropped 
the  oysters  in  (it  will  be  remembered  they  had  been  not 


110  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 

more  than  scalded  yesterday),  and  in  about  two  minutes 
they  were  firm,  yet  not  shrunken.  She  took  them  from 
the  fire  and  stirred  in  the  yolk  of  an  e^g^  already 
whipped,  with  a  tea-spoonful  of  the  cold  sauce.  They 
were  thick  before,  but  immediately  became  thicker  as 
the  heat  cooked  the  egg,  and  the  sauce  was  now  about 
the  consistency  of  the  cream  filling  used  for  cream  cakes 
or  eclairs. 

By  this  time  the  patties  were  baked.  They  were 
more  than  three  inches  high,  and  after  they  had  been 
out  of  the  oven  a  s^iort  time,  Molly  carefully  removed 
the  centre  of  the  top  layer  marked  out  with  the  small 
cutter,  and  laid  it  aside,  for  it  was  the  cover  of  the  patty ; 
then  with  a  small  coffee-spoon  she  scooped  out  the  half- 
cooked  paste  from  the  centre,  and  then  replaced  the  top. 
They  were  now  ready  to  be  filled,  but  as  they  would 
have  to  be  made  hot  for  dinner  she  did  not  fill  them,  as 
the  paste  would  be  burnt  up  before  the  inside  would  be 
warm  ;  she  therefore  directed  Marta  to  stand  the  oysters 
in  boiling  water  a  few  minutes  befoTe  serving  them,  and 
keep  them  stirred,  and  to  put  the  patty-cases  in  the  oven 
at  the  same  time  ;  let  them  get  thoroughly  heated,  and 
when  both  were  hot,  put  the  oyster  filling  in  them  with 
a  spoon.  Molly  gave  these  directions  for  the  moral 
effect,  but,  having  strong  suspicions  that  Marta  would  be 
unequal  to  such  neat-handed  work  and  might  cover  the 
outside  of  the  patties  with  the  filling,  saw  to  that  part 
herself  before  going  to  the  table. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MR.    AND    MRS.    BISHOP    BECOME    MEMBERS     OF    A    DRA- 
MATIC CLUB CROQUETTES  OVER  AGAIN WHERE 

THE  MISTAKE  LAY WHITE  SOUP. 

Harry  and  Molly  had  talked  over  the  matter  of  the 
dramatic  club,  and  whether  they  could  afford  to  join  it. 
Molly  was  old  enough,  not  being  a  school-girl  bride  —  did 
I  ever  mention  that  she  was  twenty-four  ?  —  and  had  seen 
enough  of  the  world  to  know  that,  although  a  woman's 
ideal  of  married  life  may  be  to  sew  in  the  evening, 
while  her  husband  reads  to  her,  or,  if  he  is  weary,  to  read 
to  him  while  he  rests,  a  man  very  often  prefers  something 
more  exhilarating.  Although  Harry  had  never  seemed 
bored  by  a  tete-a-tete  evening,  she  remembered  that  he 
had  never  yet  been  subjected  to  the  long  uninterrupted 
quiet  of  country  winter  nights,  and  she  wanted  to  run  no 
risk  of  him  finding  their  life  humdrum.  He  was  not  a 
reader  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word, — that  is  to  say, 
he  read  for  amusement's  sake.  If  the  book  he  read  was 
not  to  his  mind,  he  threw  it  aside,  or  fell  asleep  over  it, 
and  he  was  not  so  fond  of  reading  aloud  as  Molly  could 
have  wished.  However,  this  was  one  of  the  little  dis- 
appointments most  women,  and  some  men,  have  to  put 
up  with,  and  she  was  thankful  there  was  nothing  worse. 
It  is  true  that,  finding  Harry  cared  less  for  reading  than 
herself,  she  had  devoted  herself  to  chess,  of  which  he 
was  very  fond,  and  their  evenings  seldom  passed  without 
having  the  men  out ;  but  Harry  was  too  much  in  sympa- 
thy with  his  wife  not  to  know  that  chess,  to  her,  was  a 
sort  of  loving  pleasure,  and  had  often  pretended  disincli- 
nation ;  therefore  the  prospect  of  a  weekly  social  meet- 
ing and  the  many  little  entertainments  that  would  grow 
out  of  it  was,  for  Harry's  sake,  a  pleasant  one. 


112  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"What  are  the  actual  expenses  ?  "  she  had  asked. 
"  I  don't  know,  but  from  what  Framley  said,  I  imag- 
ine these  are  merely  nominal,  outside  the  entertaining  of 
the  club,  which  falls  to  every  one's  share  once  in  the 
season." 

"Yet  as  we  are  so  limited  in  money  matters,  we  can 
run  no  risks  ;  what  would  be  nominal  to  people  with 
double  our  income  may  be  serious  for  us.  I  think  I 
had  better  wait  and  see  Mrs.  Framley." 

That  lady  called  before  Molly  had  been  quite  two 
weeks  in  Greenfield  ;  she  was  very  handsomely  dressed, 
but  of  rather  formal  manners,  which  Molly  came  to  know 
were  natural  to  her,  and  rather  a  distress  to  herself. 
After  the  usual  chat  of  a  morning  call  Mrs.  Framley 
said :  — 

"  I  believe  Mr.  Framley  spoke  to  Mr.  Bishop  about 
our  reading-society.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W infield  were  mem- 
bers, and  as  we  limit  the  club  to  fifteen  couples  we 
thought  it  would  be  very  pleasant  if  you  and  Mr.  Bishop 
would  take  their  places." 

Molly  colored  a  little,  hesitated,  then  said :  — 
"  Will  you  please  tell  me  the  exact  conditions  and  ex- 
penses ?  " 

"  Well,  there  are  no  particular  conditions,  except  that 
no  member  is  admitted  that  is  not  acceptable  to  all. 
Your  names  were  proposed  by  Mr.  Winfield  and  warmly 
welcomed  ;  the  expenses  are  nominal." 

Molly  smiled.  She  had  braced  herself  to  be  quite 
frank. 

"  But  what  is  nominal  ?  I  may  as  well  tell  you  our 
income  is  little  more  than  sufficient  for  our  needs,  and 
we  cannot  risk  incurring  expense  that  may  be  quite  be- 
yond us." 

"  But  there  are  several  of  our  members  who  are  in  the 
same  position,  and  for  that  reason  we  made  a  few  rules 
at  the  start  so  that  our  club  should  not  break  up,  as  so 
many  have  done,  on  the  rock  of  emulous  hospitality. 
The  actual  expenses  have  never  exceeded  %2  each  per- 
son for  the  winter,  and  have  oftener  been  under  a  dol- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH,  113 

lar  and  a  half.  This  is  outside  the  cost  of  entertaining. 
Every  member  having  a  house  is  supposed  to  have  the 
meeting  once  in  the  season,  and  as  all  our  members  are 
householders,  and  some  very  hospitable,  when  anything 
occurs  to  make  such  reception  inconvenient  it  is  gladly 
taken  by  some  one  else  ;  but  as  some  are  much  wealthier 
than  others,  a  rule  was  made  that  no  ice-cream,  oysters 
or  bought  cakes  were  to  be  allowed,  only  sandwiches, 
tea,  coffee  and  home-made  cake,  and  I  am  glad  to  say 
one  lady,  one  of  the  most  wealthy,  has  nothing  but 
home-made  wafers  and  coffee." 

"  Then  I  think  Mr.  Bishop  and  myself  can  accept  the 
membership  with  an  easy  conscience,  although  I  hardly 
see  what  acquisition  I  can  be,  for  I  cannot  act.  I  don't 
know  whether  my  husband  has  any  talent  that  way." 

"  I  think  you  may  have  hidden  your  light,"  said  Mrs. 
Framley,  politely,  "  but  at  least  half  of  the  members  are 
honorary  and  only  give  us  the  pleasure  of  their  pres- 
ence ;  in  fact,  I  myself  am  only  an  onlooker." 

"  Then  I  will  have  courage.  When  is  the  next  meet- 
mgt 

"  Next  Wednesday,  at  my  house,  and  I  am  pleased  to 
think  your  first  evening  will  be  there." 

Molly  thanked  her,  and  soon  after  Mrs.  Framley  rose 
to  go. 

"  I  hope  we  shall  see  much  of  each  other,  Mrs.  Bishop. 
Mrs.  Winfield  told  me  we  should  have  a  great  deal  in 
common,  being  both  devoted  to  cooking-school." 

Molly  responded  suitably  and  Mrs.  Framley  left. 

Molly  had  made  some  mixture  for  croquettes  early  in 
the  morning,  going  minutely  over  every  detail  with 
Marta,  using  cold  veal  with  a  slice  of  the  boiled  pork, 
chopped  together  very  fine,  in  place  of  chicken.  Some 
of  the  stock  in  which  the  veal  was  boiled,  which  was 
now  a  firm  jelly,  was  used,  and  as  there  was  no  cream, 
Molly  used  half  a  gill  of  milk  to  the  gill  of  stock,  and 
an  egg  beaten  ;  the  milk  and  stock  were  stirred  to  the 
butter  and  flour  (see  recipe  for  chicken  croquettes)  and 
boiled  till  thick  and  smooth,  the  meat  and  seasoning 


114  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

then  added,  and  when  it  was  all  hot,  the  beaten  egg. 
After  this  was  in,  the  mixture  was  only  stirred  one  min- 
ute, and  then  taken  off  the  fire,  the  object  being  to  bring 
the  whole  to  boiling-point,  but  not  to  curdle  the  egg. 
The  mixture  was  put  out  on  a  dish  and  set  to  get  cold 
and  firm,  and  Marta  told  to  make  it  into  croquettes  ac- 
cording to  her  recipe. 

As  Molly  was  very  anxious  that  Marta  should  thor- 
oughly master  the  art  of  making  croquettes,  she  had  in- 
tended to  oversee  the  forming  and  frying  of  these,  which 
were  for  her  lunch ;  but  Mrs.  Framley's  visit  had  inter- 
fered, and  when  she  went  to  the  kitchen  she  found 
Marta  had  one  croquette  on  paper  in  the  colander  and 
was  fishing  in  the  hot  fat  with  her  skimmer. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Marta  ?  "  asked  Molly,  although 
she  could  guess  what  had  happened. 

Marta  pointed  to  the  top  of  the  fat,  which  was  covered 
with  crumbs  of  meat,  and  lifted  two  empty  shells  of 
croquettes  from  it. 

"  I  see  what  has  happened,  Marta,  but  don't  be  dis- 
couraged. You  have  some  mixture  left,  and  you  must 
do  this  over  again  for  breakfast  to-morrow.  I  can  tell 
you  the  reason  of  this  accident,  and  once  we  know  the 
cause  of  a  failure,  it  can  easily  be  set  right.  Had  it 
not  been  for  that  one  perfect  croquette  I  should  have 
said  that  the  fat  might  not  have  been  hot  enough  ;  that 
is  a  frequent  cause  of  croquettes  bursting,  —  they  have 
time  to  melt  inside  before  the  crust  is  formed,  but  in  this 
case  the  fault  has  been  in  the  size.  You  must  have 
made  them  too  large.  Don't  you  think  that  one,  which 
is  perfect,  was  smaller  than  the  others  ?  " 

*'  Yes,  it  was.     I  was  afraid  that  one  was  too  small." 

"  It  was  just  right,  you  see,  and  after  this  I  think 
you  '11  know.  Before  you  put  that  croquette  mixture 
away,  Marta,  keep  out  a  large  tea-spoonful,  and  after 
luncheon  I  will  come  and  make  some  balls  for  soup." 

The  veal  stock  Molly  had  carefully  skimmed  and 
strained  in  th6  morning,  and  intended  to  have  a  white 
soup  for  dinner.     There  was  about  a  quart  of  strong 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH,  115 

jelly.  One  pint  she  put  aside.  It  was  so  valuable  that 
she  did  not  mean  to  use  a  tea-spoonful  more  than  neces- 
sary ;  the  pint,  with  half  a  pint  of  milk,  would  be  all 
that  was  required  for  soup  ;  but  as  she  had  neither 
asparagus  tops  nor  mushrooms  nor  celery  to  put  in  it, 
and  veal  soup  is  apt  to  be  a  little  insipid  without,  she 
decided  on  forcemeat  balls,  made  in  the  following  way  : 
To  a  large  tea-spoonful  of  croquette  mixture  she  added 
one  of  finely  chopped  parsley,  as  much  thyme  as  would 
go  on  the  end  of  a  penknife,  and  a  dessert-spoonful  of 
bread  crumbs  ;  she  beat  an  egg,  and  used  enough  only 
to  make  the  whole  into  a  soft  paste ;  this  she  seasoned 
rather  highly  with  pepper  and  salt,  and  made  into  little 
balls  not  larger  than  marbles,  and  they  were  set  away 
till  wanted. 

As  the  soup  was  one  Marta  could  not  be  expected  to 
make,  Molly  went  into  the  kitchen  herself,  half  an  hour 
before  dinner,  to  do  it;  indeed,  although  she  had  left 
the  cooking  to  Marta  pretty  much,  she  could  not  risk 
Harry's  comfort  by  waiting  for  the  dinner  to  straggle  in 
as  Marta  would  have  had  it.  This  seemed  her  chief 
failing,  an  inability  to  see  the  necessity  of  dishing  up 
quickly.  After  she  had  cooked  a  thing  well,  she  ran 
the  risk  of  spoiling  it  by  her  slowness  in  getting  it  on 
the  table.  No  mishap  had  yet  occurred,  because  Molly 
was  on  hand  to  rescue ;  but  white  sauce  was  left  in  the 
saucepan  with  risk  of  burning,  and  vegetables,  after  they 
were  dressed,  the  same ;  but  Molly  hoped  that,  in  a  few 
weeks,  seeing  the  importance  she  herself  attached  to 
time  might  have  its  effect  on  Marta. 

The  pint  of  veal  stock,  flavored,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, with  the  vegetables  boiled  in  it  the  day  before, 
was  put  on  to  boil,  and  in  a  small  saucepan  she  put  a 
table-spoonful  of  butter  and  a  scant  one  of  flour,  and 
stirred  them  together  till  they  bubbled.  She  allowed 
them  to  cook  together  ybr  a  minute,  stirring  all  the  time, 
and  called  Marta's  attention  to  the  fact. 

"  The  white  sauce  you  made  last,  Marta,  although 
very  smooth,  had  a  little  raw  taste ;  this  was  because 


116  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

you  added  the  milk  before  the  flour  was  cooked  suffi- 
ciently in  the  butter,  —  you  put  it  in  as  soon  as  it  bub- 
bled." 

**  I  was  afraid  it  would  burn." 

"  Of  course  you  must  not  let  it  do  that,  but  you  see, 
once  it  bubbles,  I  draw  the  saucepan  to  a  cooler  part 
and  stir  till  the  flour  is  on  the  point  of  changing  color, 
then  I  quickly  add  the  milk  or  broth.  The  sauce  will 
be  an  ivory  white  instead  of  the  rather  dead  white  that 
even  fairly  good  sauce  often  is." 

She  poured  the  stock,  to  the  flour  and  butter  and 
stirred  till  smooth,  and  then  added  half  a  pint  of  milk,  — 
"  and,  as  I  have  no  cream,  Marta,  I  kept  the  egg  left 
from  the  forcemeat  balls  —  I  used  very  little  of  it  —  to 
add  to  this  soup  the  last  thing,  just  as  you  do  for  the 
bisque  of  clams."  While  the  soup  was  all  coming  again 
to  the  boiling-point  at  the  back  of  the  range,  Molly 
dropped  the  tiny  forcemeat  balls  into  boiling  water,  let 
them  simmer  half  a  minute,  then  strained  them  out  and 
added  them  to  the  soup ;  then,  with  a  caution  to  Marta 
not  to  let  the  egg  curdle,  she  went  to  add  a  few  touches 
to  her  toilette  before  Harry  came  home. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BROILED    lamb's    KIDNEYS MRS.  LENNOX    STARTLED 

CORN-BEEF  HASH. 

When  Molly  had  said  Marta  was  to  make  croquettes 
for  breakfast,  she  had  forgotten  that  she  had  kidneys  in 
the  house  ;  but,  remembering  it  before  she  went  to  bed, 
she  told  Marta  she  would  come  down  and  broil  them 
herself,  which  she  accordingly  did,  knowing  kidneys  are 
very  easily  spoiled  by  bad  cooking. 

She  split  each  kidney  down  the  back,  or  thick  side, 
but  did  not  sever  the  core  or  membrane,  so  that  when 
opened  they  lay  flat,  but  still  in  one.  Then  she  ran  a  long 
skewer  through  the  centre  bit  of  fat  and  brought  it  out 
again,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  kidney  lay  open  flat 
under  the  skewer,  which  was  attached  to  it  only  by  that 
stitch  through  the  middle  ;  then  a  second  kidney  was  run 
on  in  the  same  way  till  they  were  all  threaded,  the 
skewer  lying  across  them  all ;  but  nowhere  did  it  pierce 
the  flesh  of  the  kidney.  This  arrangement  prevents  the 
kidneys'  curling  up  in  unsightly  fashion  and  secures  their 
being  equally  cooked. 

They  were  laid  on  a  hot  gridiron,  and  a  dish  and 
plates  made  very  hot  to  receive  and  serve  them  on  ;  and 
while  Molly  cooked  them,  Marta  carried  in  breakfast, 
for  kidneys  are  things  that  are  spoiled  by  waiting. 

She  turned  them  often  for  about  four  minutes.  Dur- 
ing the  process  she  had  put  in  the  little  dish  that  was  to 
receive  them  a  piece  of  butter  the  size  of  a  butternut,  a 
level  salt-spoonful  of  salt,  a  little  pepper,  and  a  tea-spoon- 
ful of  Worcestershire  sauce.  When  the  kidneys  were 
done  they  were  removed  from  the  skewer,  and  each  well 
rolled  in  the  hot  butter  and  seasoning.     They  were  just 


118  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

enough  cooked  in  that  four  minutes  for  the  gravy  to  start 
when  the  fork  pricked  them;  if  over-cooked  they  be- 
come tough. 

"Kidneys!"  cried  Harry,  as  Molly  removed  the 
heated  vegetable-dish-cover  she  had  used  to  send  them 
unchilled  to  table.  "  Dear  Molly,  where  do  you  scare 
up  these  metropolitan  dainties  in  the  wilds  of  Jersey  ?" 

"  Nothing  so  easy  ;  actually,  the  butcher  throws  them 
in  with  his  tallow,  and  seemed  surprised  that  I  wanted 
them." 

"  I  'm  afraid  such  ignorance  can't  last,"  said  Harry 
"  and  when  he  finds  lamb's  kidneys  are  really  very  desir- 
able, he  will  value  them  accordingly." 

"  No,  not  until  he  has  customers  who  do  ;  and  I  sus- 
pect, although  the  man  I  buy  from  sells  good  meat,  that 
he  is  not  the  fashionable  butcher  of  Greenfield." 

"  They  are  cooked  to  a  turn,  Molly." 

"  I  am  glad.  I  should  have  had  them  on  toast  in  the 
orthodox  way,  but  knew  you  preferred  fresh  bread." 

In  the  afternoon  Mrs.  Lennox  came  with  her  work- 
basket  to  sew,  while  she  paid  Molly  a  visit. 

"  I  want  to  have  a  little  talk  with  you,  but  can  only 
spare  the  time  if  I  bring  some  darning  with  me,  so  you 
will  excuse  me." 

•^^  I  am  glad,  for  I  also  have  my  sewing,"  she  said, 
and  she  colored  a  little  as  she  displayed  a  dainty  little 
garment. 

*'  I  am  so  glad,"  said  Mrs.  Lennox  ;  and  there  was  con- 
gratulation in  the  tone,  although  she  said  no  more. 
"  You  have  done  me  so  much  good  since  I  have  known 
you,  Mrs.  Bishop,  that  I  feel  I  may  trouble  you  a  little 
further  about  my  affairs  without  exhausting  your  pa- 
tience." 

"  You  certainly  may,  if  I  can  do  anything." 

*'  I  must  seem  a  perfect  ignoramus  to  you,  and  yet 
I  'm  an  old  married  woman  and  you  're  a  young  one ; 
but  the  fact  is,  I  was  married  directly  after  I  left  school. 
I  knew  nothing  of  housekeeping,  for  my  mother  had 
been   such  an  invalid  that  we  always  boarded  at  that 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  119 

time.  Mr.  Lennox  was  full  of  hope  that  he  would  rise 
to  great  things, —  all  young  writers  are, —  but,  unluckily, 
the  hard  times  of  '73  came,  and  the  magazine  of  which 
he  was  sub-editor,  and  which  he  hoped  to  edit,  succumbed, 
and  ever  since  then  he  has  been  forced  to  plod  on,  at 
what  insures  us  bread.  He  has  never  dared  to  try  for 
better  things,  and  I  know  he  frets  at  seeing  me  so  over- 
worked, and  has  been  telling  me  for  years  if  I  would  sew 
less,  and  cook  more,  I  should  be  better ;  but  first  one 
must  *  know  how  '  to  cook,  and  I  don't.  There  is  one 
thing,  however,  I  do  see  now,  that  I  never  did  before ; 
and  that  is,  that  if  I  give  my  time  to  preparing  the  food, 
I  can  save  enough  to  get  the  sewinc;  I  cannot  do  done 
for  me.  I  never  realized  this  before,  but  now  I  do. 
This  is  Friday,  and  we  have  lived  nicely — I  mean  we 
have  had  food  we  enjoyed,  and  I  have  spent  $2  less  ; 
and  the  sewing  I  should  have  done  in  the  time  I  have 
cooked  would  not  have  amounted  to  one  full  day's  work, 
which  I  can  get  done  for  a  dollar." 

"  I  am  glad  you  see  it  so.  I  was  sure  of  it,  and  I  am 
sure  that  the  effort  to  do  so  much  sewing  and  the  house- 
work, too,  is  far  more  wearing  than  double  the  quantity 
of  either  alone  would  be." 

"  Yes,  because  I  dread  to  lose  a  minute,  and  the  cook- 
ing always  seemed  such  a  loss." 

"  I  wonder  you  have  not  thought  it  cheaper  to  keep  a 
servant." 

Mrs.  Lennox  dropped  her  work  in  her  lap,  and  looked 
at  Molly  in  astonishment. 

"  Cheaper !  why,  I  should  feel  I  was  ruined  at  once." 

*'  Let  us  talk  it  over  a  bit,  and  see  if  my  idea  is  right 
or  yours.     You  pay  a  woman  to  wash  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  spend  ^8  a  mouth  in  getting  help,  a  dollar  a 
week  for  washing,  and  the  other  dollar  I  divide  be- 
tween the  heavy  ironing  and  roughest  cleaning  ;  the  rest 
X  do  myself." 

"  And  the  ironing  that  is  left  is  quite  a  day's  work  ?  " 

"  Well,  it  takes  all  my  spare  time  on  Tuesday  ;  and  I 
have  been  running  down  so  much  lately,  that  I  am  afraid 
I  cannot  do  it  through  next  summer." 


120  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Molly  looked  at  her.  She  did,  itideed,  look  as  if  she 
were  worn  out.  She  could  understand  that  doing  all 
the  work  for  her  family,  washing,  even,  included,  was 
nothing  extraordinary  for  some  women  ;  but  for  this 
one,  with  her  ambition  to  dress  her  children  prettily,  not 
to  look  poor  as  well  as  be  poor,  her  fastidious  husband, 
and  her  bringing-up,  —  it  was  an  effort  that  was  wearing 
her  out. 

"  Now  this  is  the  way  I  reckon,"  said  Molly.  *'  You 
can  get  a  strong,  newly  landed  girl,  for  six  or  eight  dol- 
lars a  month.  She  may  have  nothing  but  health  and 
industry,  although  I  have  known  girls  as  capable  as 
those  who  ask  more,  but  more  self-distrustful.  Will  not 
such  a  girl  do  more  to  help  you  for  S8  the  month  than 
you  get  now  for  that  money?  " 

"Oh  dear,  yes.  It  seems  to  me  if  I  had  only  some 
one  to  wash  dishes  every  day  I  should  be  easy  ;  but 
you  forget  the  food." 

"  No,  I  do  not ;  but,  really,  if  you  have  time  to 
give  your  own  attention  to  that,  and  you  would  have 
then,  your  food  would  cost  less,  even  with  one  extra  to  feed 
than  now.  It  would  not  be  so  if  you  had  to  get  an  extra 
large  steak  or  chops  each  day  for  that  one,  but  with  the 
varied  cooking  you  could  then  practice,  you  would  find 
it  make  only  such  difference  as  you  can  easily  make  up 
in  some  other  way  ;  for  instance,  you  use  baker's  bread ; 
make  it  at  home,  and  the  difference  in  cost  will  be  more 
than  your  girl  will  eat  of  it ;  then,  as  all  children  like  rye 
bread,  use  it  once  or  twice  a  week.  You  will  make  your 
expensive  flour  go  much  farther.  Then  if  rye  is  not  liked, 
or  they  get  tired,  use  one  week  Indian  and  wheat  bread, 
another,  rice  bread.  I  don't  think  your  husband  or  chil- 
dren would  consider  these  breads  anything  but  a  treat,  or 
know  they  came  cheaper,  and  I  should  say  nothing  on  that 
point  till  you  found  out  their  real  tastes.  One  thing  I 
don't  want  to  advise  ;  and  that  is,  the  providing  of  any 
unpalatable  or  unwelcome  food,  be  it  ever  so  wholesome 
or  cheap.  Food  eaten  without  relish  is  not  wholesome  ; 
and  that  is  why,  unless  time  is  given  to  cooking,  the  coarser 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  121 

parts  of  meat  are  not  ecoDomical,  because  they  require 
careful  cooking.  A  hurried,  slap-dash  way  of  preparing 
any  part  of  meat  spoils  it.  Only  the  finest  steaks  or 
chops  are  eatable,  when  so  abused  ;  but  it  requires  all 
their  excellence  to  make  them  so." 

"  I  am  taking  in  all  you  say.  You  have  startled  me 
wonderfully  about  the  girl ;  and  the  way  you  put  it  makes 
it  seem  as  if  it  would  be  almost  cheaper." 

"  It  would  be  as  cheap,  and  your  health  would  be  better. 
You  may  not  be  lucky  enough  to  meet  with  a  good  girl 
at  first ;  but  we  all  run  that  risk,  and  I  am  sure  of  one 
thing  :  if  you  should  give  double  the  wages  you  would  be 
equally  exposed  to  it,  and  I  am  in  favor  of  taking  girls 
who  have  nothing  to  unlearn.  I  went  on  that  plan  with 
my  Marta ;  and,  although  she  is  not  all  I  could  wish,  I 
don't  think  I  should  have  done  better  by  taking  one 
who  professed  to  know." 

"  I  don't  think  you  could  ;  but  she  seems  to  me  an 
exceptional  girl." 

"  Fortunately  for  me,  she  has  a  fondness  for  cooking, 
and  seems  thoroughly  respectable  ;  but,  if  I  had  more 
work  in  my  house,  I  should  not  be  able  to  keep  her ;  so 
I  am  hoping  you  may  be  able  to  find  one  equally  good 
and  a  little  quicker,  if  you  resolve  to  make  the  trial." 

"  I  would  like,  but  I  am  afraid.  I  have  always  heard 
that  a  servant  increases  the  expenses  out  of  all  propor- 
tion to  what  she  eats." 

"  Of  course,  if  servants  are  left  to  themselves  in  their 
inexperience,  they  waste  far  more  than  they  consume; 
but  you  will  oversee  everything." 

*'  And  then  I  shall  get  the  reputation  of  being  dread- 
fully stingy." 

"  What  matter  ?  You  might  be  wasteful,  and  still  be 
called  so  by  those  who  wish  to  do  it ;  but  economy  is  not 
stint.  I  am  sure  you  will  never  look  more  keenly  after 
odds  and  ends  than  I  do." 

Mrs.  Lennox  looked  incredulous. 

"  It  is  true.  If  there  is  one  potato  left  I  have  it  put 
away  ;  one  spoonful  of  rice,  a  fag  end  of  beefsteak.     Al- 


122  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

though  I  am  new  to  keeping  house-  in  this  country,  I  am 
an  old  housekeeper ;  for  my  mother  left  everything  to  me, 
and,  our  means  being  small,  and  she  fastidious  (by  which 
I  mean  only  that  she  could  do  without  anything,  better 
than  have  it  second  rate),  I  had  to  set  my  wits  to  work ; 
and  I  've  too  often  known  the  time  when  one  potato  was 
just  the  thing  to  finish,  or  make  her  a  little  dish,  to  de- 
spise it." 

"But  how?" 

Molly  laughed.  "  Impossible  to  say,  for  one  never 
knows  what  may  happen  ;  but  I  can  tell  you  what  it 
once  did.  My  mother  and  I  lived  alone,  and  so  rarely 
had  joints  of  meat  that  we  seldom  had  much  more  than 
enough  in  the  house  for  our  needs,  in  the  way  of  fresh 
meats,  but  potted  dainties  we  always  had.  However,  one 
wet,  chilly  evening,  a  visitor  arrived  unexpectedly,  an 
American  traveling,  and  he  had  come  considerably  out 
of  his  way  to  see  us  for  a  half  an  hour.  I  was  at  my 
wits'  end,  for  our  solitary  maid  had  her  holiday,  and  we 
were  about  to  sit  down  to  a  cozy  cup  of  tea  and  toast, 
with  some  anchovy  paste  and  a  little  fruit.  All  we  had 
in  the  house  was  a  few  slices  of  corned  beef,  not  present- 
able, for  they  had  been  cut  off  for  tea  the  night  before. 
Now  I  knew  our  friend  expected  no  dinner  ;  and  to  give 
hini  as  good  a  one  as  a  French  cook  could  send  up  would 
be  no  treat,  for  he  was  leading  a  hotel  life.  The  only 
thing  he  would  really  enjoy  would  be  some  real  American 
dish.  There  was  little  time,  for  he  had  to  catch  a  train 
in  an  hour.  I  flew  down-stairs  in  despair.  I  must  have 
something  hot  to  set  before  him.  I  looked  at  the  safe ; 
there  were  about  a  cup  of  cold  mush,  a  solitary  potato  of 
good  size,  and  a  few  half-dried  scraps  of  corned  beef.  I 
took  them  all  into  the  kitchen,  blessing  the  French  char- 
coal stoves,  which  are  always  ready,  and,  arranging  the 
oven  for  baking,  I  chopped  my  beef,  then  the  potato, 
not  too  fine.  When  done  there  were  a  cup  of  beef  and 
rather  less  of  potato.  I  put  some  beef -dripping  into  a 
pan,  and  set  it  to  get  hot ;  and  into  a  saucepan  put  the 
beef  and  potato  mixed,  and  a  little  salt  and  pepper,  and 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  123 

stirred  them  round  ;  and  then  I  added  a  small  half  cup  of 
thick  cream.  While  this  was  heating,  I  cut  the  mush 
in  slices,  floured  each,  and  when  the  dripping  was  smoking 
hot  I  laid  them  in  ;  I  tasted  the  hash,  and  found  it  just 
right.  There  was  no  time  to  brown  it ;  but  I  left  it  long 
enough  for  the  cream  to  dry  sufficiently  away,  while  I 
beat  the  yolks  of  four  eggs  and  the  whites  to  a  stiff  froth, 
then  added  to  the  yolks  a  little  salt  and  three  table-spoon- 
fuls of  milk,  stirred  the  whites  to  them  gently,  and  then 
took  up  the  hash.  The  mush,  which  I  had  turned,  was 
now  pale  brown  ;  and  I  laid  it  round  the  dish  on  which 
was  the  hash,  then  poured  the  fat  from  the  saucepan,  put 
a  bit  of  butter  in  it,  and  when  it  melted,  which,  as  the  pan 
was  already  very  hot,  it  did  in  a  moment,  I  poured  in  the 
eggs.  Happily,  the  table  was  ready,  and  my  mother 
always  made  tea  on  it ;  so  I  waited  only  to  split  a  few 
pickled  gherkins  to  garnish  the  hash,  and  then  my  omelet 
being  half  set  I  put  it,  pan  and  all,  in  the  oven,  while  I 
carried  my  Yankee  dish  to  table.  I  had  been  absent 
only  twenty  minutes  ;  everything  was  ready,  and,  while 
the  traveller's  tea  was  being  poured  out,  I  ran  down 
and  doubled  my  omelet  over  and  turned  it  out.  I  am 
quite  sure  nothing  short  of  canvas-back  ducks,  or  New 
England  turkey  and  cranberry  sauce,  could  have  been 
such  a  success  as  that  hash." 

*' '  Dear  Mrs.  Holmes,'  our  friend  said  to  my  mother, 
'  T  assure  you  I  have  dreamed  of  corned-beef  hash  and 
fried  mush,  and  longed  for  them  many  times  when  the 
table  has  been  groaning  with  every  French  dainty,  and 
believed  I  could  not  hope  to  eat  them  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic' 

"  Since  that  time  I  never  think  anything  too  small  to 
save ;  it  comes  in  when  least  expected ;  and,  had  my 
cooked  potato  not  been  there,  I  could  have  made  no 
hash." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SUMMARY lamb's  HEART  —  FLOUNDERS CORNED 

BEEF CANNELON  OF  BEEF. 


It  has  been  said  that  Molly  was  providing  for  visitors 
by  economizing  slightly  in  her  table.  She  was  always 
economical,  but  it  made  some  difference  whether  the  fish 
she  bought  was  the  inexpensive  flounder,  made  by  the 
art  of  good  cooking  into  the  aristocratic ^/e<  de  sole,  or 
what  passes  for  such  where  veritable  sole  is  not  to  be 
bought  for  money,  or  a  more  expensive  sort ;  whether 
she  used  veal  instead  of  chicken,  or  clams  in  place  of 
oysters,  and  tomato  or  potato  salad  for  lettuce.  On 
Saturday,  after  Sunday's  marketing  was  done,  her  ac- 
count stood  thus :  — 


Mo  nd  ax- 
Tuesday 
Wednesday 


Thursday 
Friday 


Sundries   . 
Sweet  corn  and  milk 
Oysters   . 
Liver   . 

Knuckle  of  veal 
Pork    . 
Kidneys  . 
Yeast  . 
Sweet  corn 
Beets   . 
Corned  beef     . 
One  flounder 
Soup  meat 
Saturday  —  Steak  . 
Chicken 
Ice 
Fuel 
Milk    . 


$2.80 

.10 
.     .15 

.10 
.     .20 

.20 
.     .05 

.02 
.     .06 

.05 
.     .40 

.12 
.     .15 

.16 
.     .50 

.40 
.     .50 

.56 


$6.52 

This  made  the  week's  expenditure  23  cents  less  than 
the  last  week. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  125 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Monday's  dinner  was 
formed,  with  the  addition  of  oysters,  from  what  was  left 
on  Sunday  ;  and  therefore  the  lamb  bought  on  Monday 
did  not  come  into  use  till  Tuesday,  when  three  chops 
were  used  for  breakfast,  and  the  shoulder  for  the  even- 
ing dinner. 

Substituting,  then,  the  lamb  for  the  steak  of  the  Tues- 
da}''  before,  and  on  Wednesday  using  lamb's  liver  in 
place  of  the  roast  breast  which  was  used  on  Thursday,  the 
bills  of  fare  were  substantially  the  same  as  those  of  the 
preceding  week,  until  Friday,  when  stuffed  lamb's  heart 
for  breakfast,  and  corned  beef  and  flounders  and  beets 
for  dinner,  were  new  items,  as  was  also  the  steak  for 
Saturday,  in  place  of  the  cutlets.  Dessert  and  puddings 
of  the  first  week  were  repeated. 

Twice  Molly  had  found  in  market  green  corn  young 
enough  for  their  taste,  and  had  bouirht  half  a  dozen  ears. 
The  beets,  also,  were  moderate  enough  in  price  now  to 
come  within  Molly's  purse.  Needless  to  say,  all  arti- 
cles which  were  expensive,  only  because  too  early  or  too 
late  in  season,  had  to  be  eschewed ;  but  in  autumn,  in 
the  country,  where  vegetables  are  rarely  so  plentiful  as 
in  New  York,  the  market  needs  watching.  One  grocer 
may  have  a  stray  basket  of  string  beans,  quite  young,  or 
a  few  dozen  of  sweet  corn,  long  after  they  have  disap- 
peared generally ;  and  these  are  often  quite  cheap. 

Molly  had  chosen  a  cheap  part  of  corned  beef  —  the 
plate  —  in  preference  to  the  round,  at  double  the  price  : 
properly  boiled,  she  liked  it  better.  A  small  piece  of 
four  or  five  pounds  of  round  of  beef  is  very  dry,  even  if 
the  careful  boiling  prevents  its  being  hard  ;  therefore  she 
got  four  pounds  and  a  half  at  eight  cents.  She  knew, 
from  her  cooking  -  school  experience,  the  New  York 
price  was  seven  cents ;  but  she  had  learned  that  most 
things  were  a  little  dearer  in  Greenfield.  As  she  wrote 
down  the  recipes  for  cooking  the  heart,  the  corned  beef, 
the  flounders,  and  steak,  I  give  them  in  that  form. 

Lamb's  Heart  Baked.  —  The  heart,  which  came 
with  the  lamb's  liver,  instead  of  being  cut  up  and  fried 


126  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

in  dry  rings,  as  it  is  usually  done,  was  cleansed  of  blood, 
the  gristle  (or  "  deaf  ear  ")  cut  away,  and  a  veal  stuffing 
made  of  a  heaped  table-spoonful  of  bread  crumbs,  a  small 
tea-spoonful  of  parsley  chopped  very  jfine,  and  a  pinch, 
between  thumb  and  finger,  of  thyme,  pepper  and  salt. 
Make  this  into  a  paste  with  butter  by  working  a  piece  the 
size  of  a  walnut  into  it,  then  fill  the  cavity  in  the  heart 
with  it ;  cut  two  thin  slices  of  fat  pork,  wrap  the  heart 
in  them,  flour  it  and  put  it  in  a  hot  oven,  in  a  small 
dish.  Bake  it  twenty  minutes,  turning  often  so  that  it 
will  be  quite  brown.  Take  it  up,  pour  into  the  dish  a 
very  little  boiling  water  or  gravy  (Molly  had  some  of 
her  veal  stock),  season  nicely  ;  if  water  is  used,  add  a  few 
drops  of  sauce  or  catsup ;  stir  it  well  round  the  little 
dish  to  remove  dried  gravy,  then  serve  with  the  heart, 
which  thus  makes  a  very  appetizing  dish. 

The  corned  beef  was  washed,  and,  as  the  butcher  had 
told  Molly  it  was  only  moderately  salt,  she  did  not  soak 
it. 

Boiled  Corned  Beef.  —  Although  it  was  quite  a 
small  piece,  Molly  intended  it  to  come  so  very  slowly  to 
the  boil  that  she  had  it  put  on  the  stove  in  cold  water 
at  two  o'clock.  The  water  was  only  at  the  boiling-point 
at  three,  and  it  was  kept  till  six  so  slowly  cooking  that 
one  had  to  look  carefully  in  order  to  see  that  there  was 
any  movement  in  the  water  at  all.  At  six  it  was  taken 
up,  and  the  bones  drawn  out,  the  rough  edges  trimmed 
off,  carrot  and  turnip  cones  set  round  it,  and  boiled  cab- 
bage served  with  it.  After  dinner,  it  was  put  between 
two  dishes,  and  two  heavy  flatirons  set  on  it,  and  it  was 
allowed  to  get  cold  under  pressure,  in  order  that  it  might 
cut  in  neat  slices. 

Young  Beets  Boiled.  —  The  beets  to  be  carefully 
washed,  the  roots  not  cut  off  at  all,  and  the  tops  left  an 
inch  long ;  the  idea  is  to  prevent  the  skin  being  broken 
in  any  way.  Put  them  in  boiling  water,  and,  if  they 
are  of  average  size,  one  hour  will  boil  them  tender. 
Try,  without  a  fork,  by  pressing  in  a  cloth ;  then  pour 
the  water  off,  and  peel  and   slice  them   (or  they  can  be 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  127 

left  whole  if  preferred),  and  make  the  following  sauce  : 
A  dessert-spoonful  of  butter,  a  scant  one  of  flour  ;  let  them 
bubble  one  minute,  put  to  them  a  scant  half-pint  of  wa- 
ter ;  let  it  boil,  season  with  pepper  and  salt,  and  then  put 
in  a  large  tea-spoonful  more  butter ;  stir  till  mixed,  and 
add  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon;  put  the  beets  in  this 
sauce,  and  let  all  come  to  a  gentle  boil  together. 

To  Bone  Flounders,  and  prepare  sls, filet  de  sole- 
Take  a  flounder  weighing  as  near  two  pounds  as  possi- 
ble, —  if  too  small  they  will  make  poor  fllets,  —  have 
the  head  removed,  lay  it  on  the  board  before  you,  and 
with  a  sharp  knife  make  a  cut  right  down  the  middle  of 
the  back,  from  neck  to  tail,  letting  the  knife  touch  the 
bone  all  the  way  ;  then  run  the  knife  carefully  between 
the  flesh  and  the  bones,  working  always  towards  the 
edge  or  fin,  and  keeping  close  to  the  bone ;  you  have  now 
detached  one  quarter  of  the  flesh.  Do  the  other  side  in 
the  same  way,  and  when  the  side  uppermost  is  thus  en- 
tirely loose  from  the  bone,  turn  the  fish  over,  and  do  the 
same  with  the  other  part.  You  will  now  find  you  can 
remove  the  bone  whole  from  the  fish.  You  have  now 
two  halves  of  the  fish  ;  cut  away  the  fins,  and  you  have 
four  quarters  of  solid  flesh,  or  filets.  Lay  each  one,  skin 
downward,  in  front  of  you  ;  hold  the  end  of  the  filet 
firmly,  and  with  the  knife  cut  the  filet  from  the  skin  by 
pressing  the  edge  of  the  knife  downward  on  the  skin^ 
which  you  hold  firmly  with  thumb  and  finger,  and  push- 
ing, as  it  were,  the  flesh  up  from  it.  You  will  find  the 
skin  and  flesh  will  separate  without  destroying  the  shape 
of  the  filet.  Now  bread  them ;  have  either  a  good  sup- 
ply of  bread  crumbs  dried  in  the  oven  and  sifted,  or 
cracker  meal ;  beat  an  egg  with  a  table-spoonful  of  water, 
lay  each  filet  in  it,  both  sides,  then  lift  it  out  and  lay  it 
in  the  crumbs  ;  turn  it  over  that  both  may  be  well  cov- 
ered, and  press  gently ;  then  lay  it  aside,  and  do  the 
other  three.  Have  enough  fat  in  a  deep  pan  to  cover 
them ;  let  it  get  very  hot,  trying  it  with  a  bit  of  bread. 
If  it  brown  at  once,  put  the  filets  in,  two  at  a  time ;  have 
brown  paper  ready,  and  lay  them  on  it  when  they  are  a 
fine  golden  brown,  and  serve  on  a  hot  dish. 


128  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Stewed  Cannelon  of  Beef,  or  Rolled  Steak.  — 
Take  a  piece  of  the  upper  side  of  the  round  of  beef,  cut 
broad  and  thick.  Make  a  veal  stuffing  in  the  following 
way  :  A  cup  of  fine  bread  crunabs,  a  scant  table-spoonful 
of  finely  chopped  parsley,  and  a  very  scant  tea-spoqnful 
of  thyme  and  marjoram  mixed  (if  any  one  objects  to 
either  of  these  herbs,  leave  it  out),  a  very  little  nutmeg, 
a  half  tea-spoonful  of  salt,  and  a  half  salt-spoonful  of 
pepper ;  chop  or  mix  all  together  with  a  good  table- 
spoonful  of  butter ;  lay  the  steak  on  a  board,  and  with  a 
large  knife  hack  it  closely  across  and  across,  all  over  on 
one  side  only,  then  along  the  centre  of  the  hacked  side 
lay  the  stuffing ;  roll  the  meat  over  and  fasten  it  with 
toothpicks  to  keep  it,  while  you  envelop  it  in  thin  slices 
of  fat  pork,  round  which  you  wind  twine.  When  neat 
and  compact,  lay  it  in  a  saucepan  with  a  pint  of  water, 
and  a  piece  of  carrot  and  onion  cut  fine,  a  salt-spoonful 
of  salt,  and  a  tea-spoonful  of  vinegar.  Let  this  simmer 
very  gently  for  three  hours,  closely  covered,  then  take 
it  up,  lay  it  in  a  baking-pan,  remove  the  strings  and 
toothpicks  very  carefully,  dredge  it  all  over  very  thinly 
with  flour,  and  set  it  in  a  very  hot  oven  to  brown 
quickly.  If  the  saucepan  was  kept  closely  covered,  and 
the  simmering  slow,  there  will  be  at  least  half  a  pint 
of  thick,  rich  gravy  in  it ;  which  strain,  and  skim  free 
from  fat  (a  table-spoonful  of  cold  water  thrown  in  will 
make  it  easier  to  skim).  When  the  meat  is  brown,  pour 
this  gravy  round  it,  and  serve.  If  the  gravy  should 
have  dried  away  too  much,  a  little  boiling  water  may  be 
put  into  the  saucepan,  and  well  stirred,  before  straining,  — 
but  a  little  rich  gravy  is  better  than  much  and  poor. 

This  dish  Molly  prepared  herself,  and  it  was  a  great 
success.     Harry  pronounced  it  better  than^Ze^  de  hceuf. 

"  Yes,  it  is  either  a  very  good  dish,  or  a  wofully  bad 
one,  —  hard  and  dry  and  altogether  unsatisfactory.  " 

But  Molly  knew  it  depended  so  entirely  on  great 
care,  that  the  meat  should  be  hacked  thoroughly,  yet  not 
anywhere  cut  through,  and  then  so  very  slowly  sim- 
mered, so  quickly  browned,  that  she  thought  it  one  of 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  129 

those  dishes  she  would  always  have  to  cook  herself. 
She  was  not  expecting  too  much  from  Marta.  If  she 
profited  by  her  instructions  sufficiently  to  know  the  rules 
of  cooking,  and  abide  by  them  so  far  that  she  might  be 
trusted  not  to  spoil  a  dish  if  left  to  watch  it,  and  be  able 
to  cook  a  few  things  well,  so  that  she  could  do  when 
necessary  unaided,  —  that  was  all  Molly  looked  for. 
9 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PREPARING  A  CHICKEN GIBLETS —  SPOILT  BREAD. 

While  the  beefsteak,  on  Saturday,  was  being  con- 
verted into  such  a  savory  dish,  Molly,  who  wished  to 
oversee  the  simmering,  took  that  time  to  prepare  the 
chicken.  The  one  used  for  the  pie,  last  Sunday,  she 
had  prepared,  while  Marta  was  busy  elsewhere ;  this 
week  she  wanted  to  show  her  how  it  was  to  be  neatly 
done. 

She  had  ordered  the  chicken  (or  rather,  yearling  fowl ; 
for  it  weighed  over  three  pounds,  and  Molly  was  not 
paying  the  price  of  chicken  in  September)  to  be  sent 
home  with  the  feet  on,  for  two  reasons  :  first,  because  the 
butcher  usually  chops  them  off  at  the  joint,  or  above  it, 
when  they  should  be  taken  off  just  below,  else  when 
roasted  the  flesh  shrinks  up,  and  they  display  an  un- 
sightly bare  bone  ;  and,  secondly,  because  the  feet,  prop- 
erly prepared,  are  too  valuable,  for  gravy,  to  lose. 

Molly  began  by  picking  over  the  bird  to  remove  a 
few  stray  feathers  ;  then  she  took  off  the  stove-lid,  put 
some  paper  in  the  fire,  and  quickly  moved  the  bird  over 
the  flame,  taking  care  not  to  blacken  the  skin. 

"  Now,  Marta,  if  you  are  ready,  I  want  you  to  pay 
great  attention,  because  if  you  can  clean  a  fowl  you  can 
also  clean  a  duck,  goose,  or  turkey ;  the  process  is  the 
same,  and  either,  improperly  done,  though  you  may  re- 
move everything  that  ought  not  to  remain  in  it,  will 
never  taste  the  same.  If  the  entrails  are  broken,  it  im- 
parts the  odor  of  the  barnyard  to  the  whole. 

"  You  see  I  cut  the  neck  off  close  to  the  body,  leaving 
as  little  of  it  on  as  I  can  ;  but,  before  beginning  to  cut, 
push  the  skin  well  down  toward  the  body,  so  that  there 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  131 

will  be  plenty  of  skin  to  cover  the  place  where  the  neck 
has  been.  Cut  off  the  feet  just  below  the  joint ;  then  cut 
the  skin  at  the  back  of  the  neck,  an  inch  or  so  down, 
and  with  your  forefinger  loosen  the  crop  all  round,  and 
take  it  out  without  breaking  or  emptying  it.  Next  cut 
a  slit  right  under  the  rump,  large  enough  to  run  two 
fingers  in.  If  this  were  a  goose  or  turkey,  you  would 
need  it  large  enough  to  admit  your  whole  hand  into  the 
body.  Before  attempting  to  draw  out  the  entrails, 
loosen  with  your  finger  all  the  tiny  strings  that  attach 
them  to  the  body.  Be  certain  your  fingers  can  pass  be- 
tween the  contents  of  the  stomach  and  the  body  in  every 
direction  without  obstruction  ;  then  bend  your  hand  or 
fingers  round  the  mass,  and  draw  it  forward ;  this  will 
bring  the  whole  out  in  a  ball.  Be  careful  not  to  drag  it 
by  any  particular  part,  or  you  will  break  the  entrails, 
and  the  whole  process  be  an  unclean  one ;  or  you  may 
spoil  the  fowl  by  breaking  the  gall,  the  bitter  of  which 
cannot  be  washed  away.  Cut  off  the  vent,  which  will 
free  the  main  entrail.  If  properly  managed,  the  bird 
will  be  quite  clean  inside,  and  need  only  wiping  with  a 
wet  cloth ;  if  not  clean,  pour  lukewarm  water  through 
it." 

Molly  worked  while  she  talked,  suiting  the  action  to 
the  word  when  possible ;  and  when  the  entrails  of  the 
fowl  lay  on  the  table,  quite  unbroken,  she  showed 
Marta  the  clean  inside. 

"You  see  this  needs  washing  neither  inside  nor  out; 
and  that  is  the  great  object,  —  to  prevent  the  contents 
of  the  entrails  getting  on  the  bird  ;  for  if  they  do,  to 
my  mind,  no  amount  of  washing  will  cleanse  it." 

"  Now  I  lay  the  bird  aside,  and  prepare  the  giblets, 
which  make  gravy.  You  see  this  small,  dark-green 
bladder  attached  to  the  liver  ?  That  is  the  gall.  I  cut 
it  off,  but  am  careful  to  leave  a  bit  of  the  liver  with  it 
to  a\oid  breaking.  Put  the  liver  in  cold  water.  This 
hard,  silvery-blue  lump  is  the  gizzard  ;  it  must  be  freed 
from  all  skin  and  strings ;  and  by  cutting  it  carefully  on 
the  wide  side,  without  penetrating  the  inner  skin,  it  can 


132  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

be  peeled  off,  leaving  the  inside  whole,  thus  avoiding 
the  usual  mess.  This  outer  flesh  throw  into  the  water 
with  the  liver.     Now  for  the  feet." 

Molly  put  them  in  a  quart  bowl,  and  poured  water 
from  the  kettle  —  which  she  was  careful  to  see  was 
actually  boiling  —  upon  them,  covering  thetn  all  over. 

"  Now,  Marta,  if  you  do  this  yourself,  never  attempt 
to  scald  with  water  that  is  not  boiling,  however  near  the 
point  it  may  be  ;  and  do  not  put  them  in  hot  water  and 
set  them  on  the  stove  to  come  to  the  boiling-point. 
Either  of  these  methods  will  so  set  the  skin  that  it  will 
not  come  off  without  the  flesh,  while  these,  you  see,  will 
peel  easily  enough."  She  had  taken,  as  she  spoke,  a 
clean  cloth  in  one  hand,  and  with  a  fork  lifted  one  of 
the  feet  out  of  the  hot  water,  then  quickly  rubbed  the 
thin,  yellow  skin,  which  came  off  as  readily  as  the  skin 
from  a  ripe,  scalded  tomato ;  then  she  bent  back  each 
nail  and  tha.t,  too,  came  off,  leaving  the  foot  delicate, 
white,  and  clean.  The  rest  were  done  in  the  same  way. 
*'  The  only  thing  necessary  is  great  quickness  ;  the  skin 
gets  '  set '  »a  Liie  water  cools. 

"  You  c^n  put  the  fowl  away  now  till  to-morrow, 
Marta,  but  tl'e  giblets  I  will  put  on  to  stew  for  gravy. 
Here  are  the  feet,  the  heart,  the  neck,  gizzard,  and  liver, 
all  well  cleared.  They  need  a  pint  of  water,  a  slice  of 
onion,  a  pier  e  of  carrot,  as  big  as  your  thumb,  cut  in  it, 
half  a  tea-s^yoonful  of  salt,  and  a  sprig  of  parsley.  Now 
if  I  had  not  these  vegetables  in  the  house,  I  should  do 
without ;  iout  having  them,  the  gravy  will  be  much 
better.  Let  these  giblets  stew  down  very  slowly,  till 
only  half  remains ;  then  strain  and  you  will  find  it  is  a 
solid  jelif,  when  cold. 

"  Ah,  Marta,  what  is  the  matter  with  the  bread  ?  and 
how  coraes  it  so  late  to-day  ?  " 

Mar'^  was  just  taking  from  the  oven  the  one  loaf 
which  formed  the  tri-weekly  baking,  and  at  a  glance 
MoUv  knew  it  was  a  failure.  It  was  a  peculiar  color, 
—  a  drab  tone,  instead  of  the  bright,  yellow  brown  it 
should  have  been,  —  and  it  looked  flat. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  133 

"That  I  don't  understand,"  said  Marta;  "it  seemed 
to-day  as  if  it  would  never  rise." 

It  must  here  be  said  that  after  Molly  showed  Marta 
bread-making,  her  bread  had  been  very  good.  She  had 
made  it  three  times  so  well  that  Molly  tho'ight  that 
part  of  her  teaching  was  over.  This  was  the  fourth 
time,  and  it  was  evidently  a  failure. 

She  thought  of  all  she  had  heard  from  experienced 
housekeepers,  —  how  thankless  a  task  it  was  to  teach 
servants,  for  when  they  attain  perfection,  they  lack  the 
ambition  to  keep  to  the  mark ;  they  "  run  down,"  as  it 
were.  For  a  moment  Molly  was  appalled  at  the  pros- 
pect of  working  so  hard  and  faithfully  with  Marta,  if  it 
was  to  end  thus  ;  and  then  she  remembered,  if  it  should 
prove  so.  in  this  case,  it  could  not  be  possible  that  some 
girl  would  not  be  wise  enough  to  see  the  advantage  to 
herself  of  keeping  up  to  a  standard. 

"  Even  if  I  have  to  change  several  times,  at  last  I 
certainly  shall  find  one  who  repays  me  ;  then  I  shall 
have  a  year  or  two  of  peace  and  comfort." 

But  she  did  not  make  up  her  mind  to  the  worst  about 
Marta  from  this  failure.  It  had  been  gradually  becom- 
ing clear  to  her  that  Marta  had  some  good  qualities  and 
many  faults.  Whether  the  qualities  balanced  the  faults 
was  something  she  had  seriously  to  consider  when  she 
had  had  longer  trial  ;  and  which  would  depend  much  on 
whether,  once  knowing  a  thing  thoroughly,  she  could 
be  trusted  to  do  it. 

"  Marta,  nothing  of  this  sort  can  happen  without  a 
cause ;  try  to  think  what  it  can  be."  Molly  studiously 
refrained  from  showing  her  vexation,  for  she  really 
wanted  to  find  out  whether  Marta  had  erred  through 
carelessness  or  ignorance  ;  and  the  only  way  to  get  at 
the  facts  was,  not  to  frighten  her  into  deception  by 
seeming  angry. 

"  I  cannot  think,  unless  the  yeast  was  not  good ;  I 
was  very  careful." 

"  Get  me  the  rest  of  the  cake  of  yeast." 

When  she  brought  it,  Molly  broke  it.     It  broke  off 


134  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

short,  and  smelt  quite  good ;  had  it  been  stale  it  would 
have  pulled  like  dough,  or  smelt  bad. 

"  No,  the  yeast  is  good,  and  in  proof  of  it  I  must 
make  something  else  with  it.  But  I  think  you  must 
have  put  it  in  too  hot  water."  As  she  spoke  she  had  cut 
the  loaf.  "  This  looks  just  like  bread  made  with  scalded 
yeast,  or  that  had  risen  too  slowly  from  having  too  little 
yeast." 

"  No,  ma'am,  I  am  sure  the  water  was  not  too  hot." 

"  And  it  could  not  have  been  chilled  when  you  set  it 
to  rise,  I  know.  Ah,  there 's  one  thing,  Marta  !  perhaps 
you  forgot  to  stir  the  yeast  after  you  dropped  it  in  the 
water,  or  did  not  do  it  sufficiently,  and  it  remained  at 
the  bottom  and  never  went  into  the  bread  at  all." 

This  seemed  the  certain  solution,  if  what  Marta  said 
about  the  water  was  true ;  but  the  girl  shook  her  head. 

"  No,  I  am  sure  I  stirred  it,  and  it  all  went  into  the 
flour." 

Molly  looked  at  her,  —  could  she  be  telling  the  truth  ? 
If  she  had  not  known  the  bread  had  had  long  enough  to 
rise,  she  would  have  thought  it  had  been  put  into  the 
oven  directly  the  dough  was  in  the  pan,  without  being 
allowed  to  rise ;  but  that  she  knew  could  not  be,  for  she 
had  seen  it  rising,  and  wondered  why  it  should  be  so 
late.  She  wished  now  she  had  asked  before  it  was 
baked ;  but  Marta  had  been  out  of  the  way,  and  when 
she  returned  to  the  kitchen  the  matter  had  slipped  from 
her  mind. 

*'  I  have  told  you  to  warm  the  flour.  I  suppose  you 
did  n't  make  it  very  hot." 

"  No ;  I  did  everything  just  as  you  showed  me." 

Molly  said  nothing.  Marta  must  be  untruthful  ;  this 
was  a  more  unpleasant  thing  to  discover  than  the  failure 
of  the  bread. 

"  Well,  we  must  have  bread  ;  it  is  four  o'clock,  and 
Saturday.  I  will  make  a  rye  loaf,  because  it  needs  to 
rise  only  once  after  it  is  mixed,  and  by  seven  o'clock  it 
will  be  ready  to  bake." 

Molly  measured  the  flour  and  set  it  to  warm  (she 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  135 

meant  to  make  this  bread  herself,  because  she  was  much 
quicker  than  Marta).  As  she  poured  the  hot  water  into 
the  cold,  to  make  the  right  temperature  for  the  yeast,  a 
thought  struck  her  ;  —  she  always  dissolved  the  yeast  in 
the  tin  pint  measure,  and  Marta  did  the  same. 

"  Marta,  after  you  put  the  yeast  in  the  water,  did  you 
set  it  on  the  stove  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  the  water  was  a  little  cool,  and  I  set  it 
there  to  dissolve ;  but  I  did  not  let  it  get  a  bit  hot,  and 
it  was  quite  back  of  the  stove." 

"That  is  the  mystery  then!"  Molly  had  remem- 
bered hearing  a  lady  speak  of  having  done  the  same 
thing  herself  ;  and  though  it  was  back  of  the  stove,  and 
the  water  could  not  get  hotter,  the  yeast,  being  at  the 
bottom  in  contact  with  the  hot  iron,  had  baked  or 
scalded.  Of  one  thing  she  was  very  glad ;  Marta  had 
immediately  owned  the  fact,  and  the  failure  had  not 
come  from  her  neglect  of  any  of  the  rules  Molly  had 
laid  down,  —  only  from  not  understanding  cause  and 
effect. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

TO    MAKE   A    FOWL    TENDER   AS    SPRING    CHICKEN. 

As  I  have  said,  the  fowl  was  a  yearling,  and  Molly 
meant  to  try  with  it  an  experiment  she  had  seen  prac- 
ticed in  France,  by  which  fowls,  not  quite  young,  were 
made  very  tender,  without  being  converted  into  fricassee 
or  pot-pie.  On  Sunday  morning,  before  going  to  church, 
she  had  taken  a  large  sheet  of  soft  paper,  and,  after 
twisting  the  wings  over  on  the  back,  and  forcing  the 
legs  up  against  the  body  snugly,  securing  them  there 
with  skewer  and  twine,  and  fastening  the  skin  of  the 
neck  neatly  on  the  back  with  a  toothpick,  she  seasoned 
it  and  wrapped  it  entirely  in  the  paper,  which  was  large 
enough  to  cover  it  twice.  She  then  tied  it  up  with 
twine. 

"  Marta,  put  this  chicken  in  the  oven  at  half  past 
eleven ;  that  is,  half  an  hour  earlier  than  if  it  were  a 
young  chicken.  Let  the  oven  be  hot,  and,  at  a  quarter 
past  twelve,  remove  the  paper.  Take  care  to  let  all  the 
grease  that  may  be  in  it  run  into  the  pan  ;  flour  the 
fowl  a  little,  and  set  it  back  in  the  oven  and  roast  it. 
Take  care  to  turn  it  often,  and  let  it  get  well  browned; 
when  you  take  it  up,  remove  skewer  and  string,  pour 
the  gravy  from  the  giblets,  with  the  liver  and  gizzard 
chopped  very  fine,  into  the  dripping-pan ;  set  it  over  the 
stove,  season,  and,  if  it  should  not  look  a  nice  rich  brown, 
put  about  two  drops  of  caramel  in  it.  Send  the  gravy 
to  table  in  a  sauce-boat." 

Marta  promised  to  follow  directions  carefully,  and 
Molly  left  the  kitchen ;  and  then,  remembering  a  mis- 
take Marta  might  make,  hastened  back. 

"  I  told  you  to  flour  it,  but  I  mean  only  to  shake  a 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  137 

very  little  over  it  from  the  dredger  ;  if  it  is  at  all  thick 
there  will  be  a  white,  pasty  coatiog  on  the  outside,  in- 
stead of  a  crisp,  brown  one." 

After  church  Molly  went  to  the  kitchen  to  see  if 
everything  was  going  right,  and  saw  on  the  table  a  cup- 
ful of  pretty  yellow  balls.  "  What  are  these  ? "  she 
asked,  taking  one  up,  but  found  it  collapsed  between  her 
fingers.  It  was  simply  a  wind  ball,  and  the  outside  as 
thin  as  paper. 

"They  are  German  noodles  for  soup,"  said  Marta, 
her  face  beaming  with  pride. 

"  They  are  very  pretty ;  and,  though  I  know  several 
sorts  of  noodles,  I  have  never  seen  these." 

At  dinner  the  clear  soup,  with  the  addition  of  Marta's 
noodles,  was  excellent,  and  she  found  that  steaming  the 
fowl  in  paper,  before  baking,  agreed  just  as  well  with 
the  American  bird  as  a  French  one  ;  the  limbs  fell  from 
under  the  knife,  as  Harry  carved,  and  the  oft  despised 
yearling  might  have  rivalled  the  youngest  and  juiciest 
spring  chicken. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

DOLLARS    AND    CENTS. 

Molly  reached  the  end  of  her  first  month's  house- 
keeping, and  now  could  see  exactly  where  she  stood, 
and  could  plan  for  the  coming  month  to  advantage.  Re- 
ferring to  her  note-book,  she  found  she  had  spent  53 
cents  less  the  second  week  than  the  first,  75  cents  less 
the  third,  and  60  cents  less  the  fourth.  She  had,  there- 
fore, in  hand  nearly  $2,  and  provisions  in  the  house  for 
a  couple  of  days.  She  had  also  salad-oil,  olives,  Worces- 
tershire sauce,  cooking-wine,  pepper,  salt,  mustard,  corn 
meal,  and  vinegar,  to  last  a  month  at  least.  There  was 
also  over  a  pound  of  coffee  left ;  and  she  would  need 
only  three  pounds  of  lard  in  place  of  five,  as  there  was 
nearly  half  left,  and  two  instead  of  four  pounds  of  coffee. 
She  had,  therefore,  that  much  to  deduct  from  her  second 
month's  grocery  bill,  and  several  additions  to  make  to  it, 
for  she  had  so  far  done  without  many  articles  she  liked 
to  have  in  the  house ;  she  found,  too,  that  the  twelve 
pounds  of  sugar  she  had  allowed  must  be  increased  to 
fifteen,  twelve  granulated,  three  cut  loaf. 

Her  order  for  the  grocer  stood  for  the  second  month 
thus :  — 

Three  pounds  loaf  sugar        ....  $0.30 
Twelve  pounds  granulated  sugar        .         .  .96 

Flour 1.00 

Kerosene 1.00 

Potatoes 40 

Lard .36 

Coffee CO 

Tea 75 

Soap ,         .       .25 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 


139 


Toilet  soap 

Starch 

.10 

.       .08 

Cracker  meal 

.15 

Cheese            ...... 

.       .18 

Capers  (small  bottle) 

Two  pounds  of  currants         ,     '    . 

.30 
.       .20 

One  pound  of  Valencia  raisins 

.14 

One  pound  of  Sultana  raisins 

.       .18 

One  half  pound  of  citron 

.15 

One  half  pound  of  shelled  almonds 

.       .23 

Gelatine     ...... 

.18 

Hominy          ...... 

.       .10 

Extract  of  vanilla      .... 

.25 

Alcohol          ...... 

.       .10 

Extract  of  rose          .... 

.10 

Oil  bitter  almonds          .         .         .         . 

.       .10 

Pickled  gherkins         .... 

.35 

Two  cans  of  peas  (American) 
Graham  flour     ..... 

.       .30 
.16 

Lemons          ...... 

.       .20 

Carrots,  turnips,  onions 

Apples            ...... 

Parsley       ...... 

.40 

.       .40 

.05 

Molly  had  carefully  saved  the  peels  of  all  lemons 
used  in  the  past  month,  which  had  not  been  grated.  As 
they  were  squeezed,  the  pulp  was  scraped  out,  and  then 
they  were  dropped  into  a  gem-jar  of  salt  and  water,  a 
handful  of  salt  to  the  quart.  She  meant  to  do  the  same 
with  oranges,  through  the  winter,  and  to  candy  them. 
A  cup  of  candied  lemon  or  orange  peel  is  a  great  addi- 
tion to  a  fruit  cake  or  to  many  puddings ;  and,  as  the 
only  cost  was  the  sugar  used  in  candying  it,  she  would 
always  keep  a  good  supply  in  her  store-closet.  The 
alcohol  was  to  make  lemon  flavoring  ;  and,  as  soon  as  it 
came,  she  took  a  fresh  lemon  with  a  coarse  rind,  and  with 
a  sharp  knife  carefully  pared  off  the  yellow  as  thin  as 
possible  ;  this,  cut  into  small  pieces,  she  put  into  the  alco- 
hol, then  corked  it  tightly.  In  two  or  three  weeks  this 
would  be  very  fragrant  extract  of  lemon,  growing 
stronger  the  longer  it  was  kept.  The  extract  of  rose, 
of  vanilla,  and  of  almond,  she  bought  of  the  druggist ; 


140  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 

they  were  much  stronger  than  those  put  up  in  bottles, 
and  of  course  very  much  cheaper,  and  the  ten  cents' 
worth  would  last  months.  The  extract  of  rose  was  to 
take  the  place  of  rose-water  in  flavoring  cakes  or  icing ; 
a  very  few  drops  would  suffice. 

*'  Now,"  thought  Molly,  as  she  surveyed  her  new  stock 
of  provisions,  "  I  can  have  some  variety  in  dessert  and 
cakes,  and  these  little  bottles  will  work  wonders  in  my 
commissariat.  Charlotte  and  I  will  have  a  real  good 
time  when  she  comes." 

"  Charlotte  "  was  Mrs.  Welles;  and  she  was  to  come 
the  second  week  in  October,  when  the  hills  would  be  in 
the  full  glory  of  autumn  color  ;  and  Molly  was  full  of 
anticipation  of  pleasure  in  having  her  old  friend  in  her 
own  house. 

"  That  alone  pays  for  all  the  extra  care  and  work  of 
housekeeping,"  she  had  said  to  Harry,  —  "  the  pleasure 
of  asking  your  friends  to  your  own  house  instead  of  some 
one  else's." 

"  Oh,  it 's  a  paying  thing  in  every  way,"  said  Harry. 
"  I  confess  I  'm  completely  converted." 

Harry  had  kept  up  his  little  jokes  about  their  house- 
keeping ;  had  laughed  gently  over  her  weekly  savings, 
and  still  more  when  she  told  him  it  was  to  meet  the 
extra  expense  of  visitors. 

"  But,  Harry,"  she  had  said  earnestly,  "  we  must  do 
that,  you  know,  or  else  get  just  as  much  behind  as  I  am 
now  before-hand.  Of  course,  if  we  were  a  large  family 
keeping  a  bountiful  house,  one  more  or  less  would  not 
need  providing  for ;  but  when  just  two  are  living  as  well 
as  they  know  how,  on  a  certain  sum,  that  amount  will 
not  stretch  to  take  in  extra.  Every  one  who  manages 
has  to  calculate  so ;  only  perhaps  I  need  not  have  spoken 
of  it.  Many  things  are  all  right  until  they  are  spoken, 
and  then  they  do,  1  confess,  sound  very  small.  Of  course, 
if  we  cooked  a  large  roast  to-day,  ate  it  cold  two  or  three 
days,  baked  once  a  week  several  loaves,  and  had  large 
pots  of  weak  coffee,  half  to  be  thrown  away,  we  should 
not  need  to  provide  very  much  for  a  visitor ;  but  we  aim 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  141 

to  live  differently ;  and  it  is  only  by  making  one  thing  fit 
in  with  another  that  we  can  live  quite  within  our  means, 
and  be  able  to  welcome  a  visitor  without  anxiety." 

Molly  was  flushed,  and  her  eyes  sparkled ;  for  she  was 
a  little  wounded. 

*'  My  dearest  little  woman,  you  mistook  me  ;  I  was  n't 
laughing  at  the  planning  at  all ;  I  was  laughing  in  admi- 
ration at  the  way  you  steered  your  little  bark  so  very 
near  the  wind,  and  trimmed  so  very  neatly.  And  to 
think,  too,  how  clever  you  were  to  cut  down  the  table-ex- 
penses after  the  first  week  without  my  guessing  it.  I 
declare,  I  thought  I  was  living  quite  like  a  prince.  I 
am  lost  in  admiration,  Molly,  and  feel  ashamed  to  be  so 
much  better  off  than  most  fellows." 

He  spoke  in  a  sort  of  jesting  earnest,  and  pressed 
Molly  to  him.  She  understood  him  well ;  the  slight 
cloud  lifted,  and,  with  his  arm  about  her,  they  went  over 
the  month's  accounts  together. 

"  Now  do  you  regret  the  experiment  of  housekeep- 
ing?" she  asked,  when  he  had  congratulated  her. 

"  No,  indeed,  I  don't.  No  more  boarding  for  me  if  I 
know  it." 

"  I  am  so  thankful  to  hear  you  say  that." 

"  Now,  my  dear,  you  've  had  your  little  innings,  lis- 
ten to  mine.  I  have  $20  a  month,  remember,  to  give  an 
account  of.  You  know  we  set  out,  when  we  married, 
with  the  brave  purpose  of  reserving  $10  a  month  for 
emergencies.  But  with  board  and  laundress  coming  to 
nearly  $90,  and  the  numberless  trifling  expenses,  car 
fares,  etc.,  in  New  York,  in  the  whole  twelve  months  we 
did  not  save  $10." 

"  I  know,  and  it  worried  me  very  much ;  to  live  right 
up  to  one's  income  seems  terrible." 

"  Not  so  terrible  in  our  case,  because  I  'm  sure  of  a 
steadily  increasing  salary;  and  I  propose  we  do  not  in- 
crease our  expenses  for  some  years  to  come." 

"  Oh,  no  indeed  !  Whatever  the  increase,  it  must  be 
saved  so  long  as  we  have  health." 

"  Well,  I  find  by  living  in  the  country  that  drain  of 


142  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

small  expenses  is  avoided;  and  I  actually  have  $12  in 
Land." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  thankful,  but  "  —  anxiously  —  "  you 
have  not  been  going  without  lunch  ?  " 

"  By  no  means  ;  but  1  find  fruit  or  a  sandwich  and 
glass  of  milk  makes  me  as  good  a  lunch  as  I  want,  and 
averages  ten  cents  a  day." 

Harry's  commutation  ticket  was  $6  a  month,  $3  only 
of  which  had  to  come  from  the  margin  of  $20.  (It 
will  be  remembered  that  the  amount  they  allowed  for 
their  rent,  servants,  and  table  was  $77.  The  $3  saved 
from  their  old  boarding-house  expense  of  $80  partly 
paid  the  commutation  ticket.)  Harry  had  therefore 
limited  his  personal  expenses  to  $5  for  lunch  and  news- 
papers, tobacco,  etc.  Molly  was  very  proud  each  time 
she  remembered  how  freely  he  had  spent  money  before 
their  marriage,  and  how  cheerfully  he  had  resigned  the 
cigars  and  expensive  luxuries  that  were  almost  second 
nature,  for  her  sake.  How  could  she  grudge  any  pains 
that  should  make  his  house  a  little  like  the  one  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  ?  They  had  both  decided  to  be 
very  economical  in  dress ;  and  it  is  astonishing  how  very 
little  will  keep  up  a  wardrobe  once  well  supplied,  pro- 
vided one  does  not  easily  tire  of  the  same  garments.  Al- 
together Molly  thought  the  outlook  was  bright  enough ; 
and,  after  thus  summing  up,  they  spent  a  long,  happy 
evening  laying  plans. 

"  Oh,  what  is  your  conclusion  about  our  light-handed 
Phyllis  ;  will  you  keep  her  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes ;  she  certainly  is  rather  exasperating  some- 
times, and  I  have  thought  it  over  seriously  whether  I 
should  take  the  trouble  to  go  on  with  her  or  change  ;  but 
she  has  some  very  good  qualities  ;  she  is  very  clean,  and 
very  saving,  and  really  about  cooking  very  intelligent. 
Outside  of  the  kitchen  I  can't  say  much  for  her ;  but 
another  might  be  stupid  there,  too,  so  I  think  I  '11  bear 
the  ills  I  know." 

Marta's  wages  were  but  $10;  but  Molly  had  found 
it  absolutely  necessary  to  hire  a  woman  for  two  days, 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  143 

that  Marta  might  see  how  washing  and  ironing  was  to 
be  accomplished  in  this  country,  which  Molly  herself 
knew  little  about.  She  knew  what  the  result  should  be, 
but  how  to  attain  it  she  did  not  know.  When  the  woman 
came,  she  was  careful  to  profit,  herself.  She  watched  the 
process,  and  asked  the  woman  a  dozen  questions. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  Marta  rubs  enough  and  works 
hard  enough,  but  nothing  looks  just  right,"  she  had  said, 
as  she  watched  the  apparently  easy  movements  of  Mrs. 
Hall,  who  was  considered  an  excellent  laundress. 

"  Lor  bless  you,  ma'am,  it  ain't  the  rubbin'  with 
clothes  like  your'n,  it  's  the  rinsin',  and  the  washin'  in 
plenty  of  water  —  many  ov  'em  stuff  the  tub  just  full 
of  clothes  as  they  can  pack,  and  then  puddle  them  all 
through  in  a  little  water  one  side  the  tub,  when  it's  just 
as  easy  to  have  a  few  bits  in  at  a  time.  Then  when 
they  're  a  bilin',  the  biler  's  chuck  full,  and  no  room  for 
'em  to  scald ;  and  they  're  put  right  out  of  the  bilin'  suds 
into  the  blue  rinse  water,  'stead  ov  bein'  suddled  first." 

"  What  is  suddled  ?  " 

"  Well,  just  being  put  into  a  tub  ov  clear  or  near  clear 
water,  an'  gettin'  the  soap  out  of  'em ;  then  they  kin  be 
tossed  into  the  rinse." 

"  You  think,  then,  it 's  not  the  labor,  but  the  water?" 

"  Stan's  to  reason,  if  the  does  come  out  of  thick  water, 
—  I  don't  mean  dirty  ;  your  does  would  n't  make  dirty 
water  if  you  was  to  try,  —  they  '11  look  thick." 

This  was  a  great  thing  for  Molly  to  know.  She  saw 
the  principle  of  it,  and  she  knew  Marta  grudged  no 
work ;  it  was  only  that  she  did  not  expend  it  in  the  right 
direction.  Less  rubbing,  but  more  water,  then,  was  no 
doubt  the  secret. 

With  ironing  she  learned  less,  Mrs.  Hall's  views  on 
the  matter  being  of  the  Bunsby  kind.  Molly  had  been 
reading  all  she  could  find  in  books  about  it,  but  she  be- 
lieved a  few  words  from  a  practical  laundress  would  en- 
lighten her  more  than  much  reading.  She  had  only  one 
clear  idea  herself ;  and  that  was  that  the  most  beautiful 
laundry-work  she  had  ever  seen,  she  had  been  told,  was 
due  to  loncj  boiling  of  the  starch. 


144  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  I  boil  it  till  it  runs  off  the  spoon  like  melted  silver," 
the  woman  who  did  it  told  her. 

"  What  do  you  think  about  starch  ?  Ought  it  to  be 
long  boiled  ?  "  she  asked  Mrs.  Hall. 

*'  Oh,  I  don't  know.  Some  says  so,  some  says  not,  but 
I  never  makes  no  differ  ;  if  I  'm  not  ready  the  starch 
biles,  if  I  am,  it  don't.  It 's  all  in  the  ironin',  I  say ;  if 
you  kin  iron,  you  kin." 

"  But  surely  sometimes  starch  sticks.'* 

"  Yes,  if  you  don't  understand  it." 

Molly  gave  up ;  but  she  found  Marta  so  far  improved 
by  what  she  had  seen,  that  the  money  was  well  ex- 
pended. 

But  to  return  to  the  dollar  and  cent  question.  Her 
grocery  bill  for  the  coming  month  was  $10.02  against 
$11.22  for  the  last  (see  Chapter  IX.),  and  the  weekly 
proportion  of  that  would  be  $2.50J.  Of  several  arti- 
cles, such  as  flour  and  potatoes,  she  had  renewed  the 
supply  ;  not  because  they  were  really  exhausted,  but 
would  be  in  a  few  days ;  all  of  which  small  "•  lap-overs," 
however,  would  make  a  little  difference  to  one  who 
watched  her  expenses  so  closely  as  Molly. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

CHIEFLY   SOCIAL MRS.    FRAMLEY's    OPINIONS. 

Molly  during  the  month  had  become  acquainted  with 
all  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winfield's  friends  ;  they  had  gone  to 
the  "  readings  "  each  week,  and,  not  being  hypocritical 
young  people,  but  very  ready  to  be  amused,  had  enjoyed 
themselves  much.  The  "  readings,"  she  found,  were 
really  modified  theatricals ;  and  as  happily  no  great 
tragedies  or  legitimate  dramas  were  attempted,  but  bright 
comedies  or  farces,  they  were  usually  well  done;  and 
where  they  were  not  the  fun  was  greater. 

Molly  was  glad  they  had  found  so  many  pleasant  peo- 
ple in  Greenfield ;  it  made  the  ordeal  of  a  winter  in  the 
country  for  Harry  far  less  trying.  She  was  expressing 
an  idea  of  this  sort  to  Mrs.  Framley,  who  said :  — 

''  But  you  don't  seem  to  think  the  ordeal  is  as  great 
for  you,  who  are  in  the  country  all  day.  I  'm  afraid  you 
spoil  Mr.  Bishop." 

"  Oh  dear,  no,"  laughed  Molly ;  "  but  I  do  think  it 
right  to  make  life  just  as  pleasant  to  him  as  I  can." 

"  My  dear,  don't  you  think  women  do  too  much  of 
that  ?  Is  n't  it  just  as  much  a  man's  business  to  see  that 
his  wife  enjoys  herself  as  hers  to  cater  to  his  amuse- 
ment ?  You  told  me  the  other  day  you  don't  care  for 
chess ;  yet  you  make  a  point  of  playing  it.  Why  should  n't 
Mr.  Bishop  make  a  point  of  doing  something  you  like?" 

"  I  don't  know ;  but  I  don't  believe  he  would  think  of 
it ;  if  he  did,  no  doubt  he  would  try  to  amuse  me." 

"  That  's  just  it  !  You  are  so  self-effacing  that  it 
does  n't  occur  to  him.  I  am  no  woman's  rights  woman ; 
I  don't  want  to  vote ;  but  I  do  not  believe  in  catering  to 
a  husband's  taste  any  more  than  he  caters  to  mine." 


146  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  I  have  n't  thought  much  about  it,"  said  Molly  slowly. 
"  It  just  comes  natural  to  me  to  do  what  I  can  to  please 
Harry,  but  I  don't  know  that  it  is  any  credit  to  me,  for 
I  enjoy  it  just  as  much  as  he  does ;  perhaps  if  I  did  n't  I 
might  not  do  it." 

"  Well,  you  are  newly  married,  but  later  you  will  find 
you  have  made  him  thoroughly  selfish ;  at  least,  he  is  a 
remarkable  young  man  if  he  does  n't  get  so.  Look  at 
Jane  Carlyle ! " 

Molly  laughed.  "  I  love  Mrs.  Carlyle,  and  I  am  al- 
ways surprised  at  the  tone  of  commiseration  adopted 
toward  her.  I  think  she  thoroughly  enjoyed  ministering 
to  her  husband  —  why  should  n't  she  ?  She  loved  and 
admired  him,  and  it  was  her  life  work ;  and  1  think  I  un- 
derstand such  a  woman  well  enough  to  feel  sure  she  was 
happier  drudging  for  him  than  she  would  have  been 
with  some  smaller  man  drudging  for  her.  All  her  let- 
ters, for  the  first  twenty-five  years  of  her  married  life, 
show  that  she  rather  gloried  in  overcoming  her  diffi- 
culties. I  dare  say  she  would  have  pitied  some  other 
woman  doing  the  same  things ;  but  we  all  leave  out,  in 
thinking  of  others,  the  personal  affection  which  makes 
the  things  we  do  and  suffer  for  those  we  love  a  pleas- 
ure." 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Bishop,"  cried  Mrs.  Framley,  laugh- 
ing, "  I  had  no  idea  you  could  be  so  eloquent.  I  think, 
at  one  of  our  meetings,  instead  of  a  reading,  we  will 
have  a  lecture  from  Mrs.  Bishop,  entitled  The  labor 
that  we  love  physics  pain.  You  have  n't  convinced  me, 
though,  because  my  opinions  are  founded  on  principle, 
and  the  conviction  that  women  ought,  out  of  self-respect 
and  for  the  sake  of  other  women,  to  expect  that  a  hus- 
band should  sacrifice  his  tastes  and  pleasure,  and  con- 
sider it  his  duty  to  amuse  and  entertain  his  wife  as  much 
as  she  does  him,  and  not  consider  his  duty  done  if  he 
provides  for  her  and  treats  her  as  well  as  he  would  a 
favorite  horse." 

"  I  can  understand  if  people,  man  and  wife,  or  brother 
and  sister,  begin  to  draw  the  line  as  to  what  is  to  be 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  147 

conceded  and  what  expected,  and  what  thej  do  for  those 
they  love  becomes  a  conscious  self-abnegation,  —  that 
life  under  such  circumstances  may  be  looked  upon  as  one 
of  self-denial ;  but  I  fancy  few  really  are  denying  them- 
selves while  pleasing  a  loved  one." 

Mrs.  Framley  smiled.  "You  are  the  last  person  I 
should  have  thought  romantic,  but  I  see  you  are ;  talk 
to  me  ten  years  from  now,  my  dear,  and  I  '11  listen  re- 
spectfully." 

Molly  thought  the  matter  over  when  she  was  alone. 
Was  she  really  in  danger  of  spoiling  Harry  ?  She  cer- 
tainly had  known  husbands  who  took  all  the  comfort  of 
their  homes  just  as  their  right,  and  never  seemed  to 
think  they  need  do  anything  toward  the  family  pleasure 
beyond  paying  the  bills.  Molly  was  devoted  to  her  hus- 
band ;  but  she  was  not  so  blinded  by  her  love  as  not  to 
see  that  Harry  was  in  no  way  a  perfect  man.  He  was 
pleasure-loving  only  in  the  sense  of  seizing  life's  en- 
joyments, —  even  his  generous  impulses  were  part  of 
them,  —  and  he  was  too  fastidious  for  a  poor  man  ;  and 
Molly  could  quite  realize  that  he  might  not  be  a  loving 
husband  to  some  women  just  as  good  as  she  was,  and 
yet  she  knew  his  faults  were  faults  of  temperament. 
How  could  he  help  it,  if  he  liked  brightness  and  gaiety 
and  rather  shirked  the  dreary  side  of  life  ?  She  sympa- 
thized so  much  with  him  that  she  had  no  dread  of  the 
future  ;  she  had  no  wish  to  make  him  over  to  her  stand- 
ard. (Herein  lies  the  secret  of  half  the  "  incompatibil- 
ity "  in  marriage,  if  Molly  had  but  known  it ;  but  she 
was  not,  consciously,  a  social  philosopher.) 

"  Well,  I  can't  help  it ;  I  don't  believe  Harry  will  be 
more  spoiled  by  being  made  happy  in  his  own  way  than 
if  I  try  to  make  him  make  me  happy  in  mine ;  and  if  he 
does  I  can't  help  it.  It  all  depends,  I  suppose,  whether 
one  loves  a  man  well  enough  to  enjoy  his  pleasure 
and  find  one's  own  in  it ;  and  I  can't  help  thinking  Mrs. 
Carlyle  was  just  as  happy  as  those  who  pity  her,  until 
she  got  ill  and  morbid  ;  the  sacrifices  she  seemed  to 
make  of  her  own  comfort  were  not  so,  for  her  pleasure 
was  in  promoting  that  of  her  great  husband." 


148  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

On  the  whole,  Mrs.  Framley'^  warning  had  done  no 
good  or  harm.  While  boarding,  although  Molly  had 
been  as  reserved  as  politeness  permitted,  and  limited  her 
intercourse  with  the  ladies  to  formal  acquaintance,  it  had 
been  impossible  for  her  to  escape  many  such  warnings, 
uttered  good-naturedly,  often  by  the  way  of  joking  a 
young  wife ;  but  she  knew  then,  as  now,  she  could  lay 
no  deliberate  plans  to  secure  her  husband's  love  and  at- 
tention ;  if  she  gave  more  than  she  received,  she  could 
not  help  it —  she  loved  to  give.  "  If  it  is  really  neces- 
sary to  measure  one's  devotion  in  order  to  secure  happy 
married  life,  then  those  women  who  love  least  have  most 
chance  of  happiness  ;  but  it  cannot  be." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A  VERT  PLAIN  PUDDING — HOW  TO  COOK  ODDS  AND 
ENDS BILLS  OF  FARE  FOR  A  WEEK. 

Molly's  enlarged  circle  of  acquaintances  enabled  her 
to  ask  aid  for  poor  Mrs.  Gibbs  ;  and  several  had  sub- 
scribed small  sums,  which,  put  together,  bought  the  poor 
soul  fuel  for  a  couple  of  months ;  and  others  who  re- 
gretted inability  to  give  money  —  having  so  many  calls 
already — gladly  sent  to  Molly  odds  and  ends  of  food, 
fag  ends  of  steak,  the  tops  of  mutton  chops,  etc., 
which,  long  and  softly  stewed  and  left  till  cold,  —  when 
the  fat  came  off  in  a  cake  which  made  nice  dripping  for 
Mrs.  Gibbs  to  fry  mush  or  potatoes  in,  —  then  stewed 
again  with  onions  and  potatoes  at  some  times,  vegetables 
and  barley  at  others,  made  a  very  appetizing  dish ;  thus 
with  a  very  little  of  Molly's  time  and  what  would  have 
been  thrown  away  by  one  or  two  families,  savory,  nour- 
ishing food  was  provided  for  the  destitute  woman  and 
children.  Had  the  meat  and  vegetables  been  sent  to 
Mrs.  Gibbs  herself,  they  would  have  done  comparatively 
little  good ;  they  would  have  been  fried,  and  the  fat 
probably  thrown  away,  and  the  tough  meat  eaten  with- 
out relish.  A  large  bread  pudding,  too,  was  made  once 
a  week ;  and,  as  it  cost  so  little  and  was  so  good,  Mrs. 
Lennox  asked  Molly  for  the  recipe  :  — 

Plain  Bread  Pudding.  —  Soak  stale  bread,  crust 
and  crumbs,  in  skimmed  milk  till  soft ;  press  out  the 
milk,  and  beat  the  bread  fine  ;  add  a  table-spoonful 
of  molasses,  a  tea-spoonful  of  ginger,  and  the  third  of 
a  nutmeg  to  each  quart  of  beaten  bread ;  sweeten  to 
taste ;  pare  the  yellow  rind  of  an  orange  or  lemon,  or 
both,  chop  them  fine,  and  add  them  with  ofie  or  two  cups 


150  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

of  currants,  according  to  the  sizQ  of  the  pudding;  put 
the  whole  into  a  pan,  smooth  it  over  the  top,  and  strew 
it  thickly  with  nice  beef  dripping  or  butter.  Bake  a 
three-quart  pudding  slowly  four  hours.  Better  cold  than 
hot. 

This  pudding,  if  care  is  taken  with  the  flavoring,  will 
by  no  means  taste  poor.  It  is  especially  nice  cut  in 
slices  and  fried,  or — in  hot  weather — eaten  cold  with 
milk  or  cream  and  sugar. 

Mrs.  Gibbs  was  getting  now  strong  enough  to  do  sew- 
ing, and  one  lady  lent  her  a  sewing-machine  she  was 
not  using ;  Molly  felt  there  was  now  some  hope  of  her 
getting  work  enough  to  partly  support  her  family. 

Mrs.  Lennox  and  Molly  had  often  talked  again  over 
the  advisability  of  the  former  getting  help  in  her  house, 
or  not ;  Molly  was  strongly  of  the  opinion  that,  as  her 
health  was  before  everything,  it  certainly  was  advisable 
and  truly  economical,  but  she  did  not  venture  to  urge  it, 
because  she  knew  everything  would  depend  on  the  kind 
of  girl  they  would  get ;  yet  it  seemed  that  any  one  with 
but  two  good  qualities,  willingness  and  strength,  must 
be  a  great  gain  to  a  woman  situated  as  her  friend  was. 

"  1  do  dread  green  girls,  they  generally  are  so  stupid." 

"  I  confess  they  often  are  ;  so  are  those  not  green, 
only  they  conceal  their  stupidity  better,  and  often  add 
conceit  to  it ;  but  it  seems  to  me  what  you  are  in  urgent 
need  of  is  a  pair  of  strong  arms ;  if  you  get  those,  you 
can  do  without  the  brains,  or  supply  them ;  you  never 
stop  to  ask  if  the  woman  you  hire  to  wash  and  iron  is 
stupid  or  not,  she  simply  does  the  work  set  for  her ;  and 
if  one  pays  a  girl  low  wages,  and  she  does  just  the  work 
you  show  her,  like  a  machine,  every  day  instead  of  two 
days  a  week,  won't  you  be  better  off  ?  " 

"  Yes.  When  I  think  of  the  matter  like  that,  I  see 
I  should,  even  if  I  have  to  follow  her  round  for  a  month 
or  so." 

*'  Yes,  you  will  be  saving  your  muscles." 

"And  I  might  then  get  time  to^think  of  my  children's 
minds  as  wen  as  their  bodies;  my  life  is  so  sordid,  I 


«0*TON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
0«eSINL;T  HILL.  MASS. 
TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  151 

never  read  a  line;  and  when  Mr.  Lennox  reads  to  me  I 
am  sorry  to  say  I  am  too  pre-occupied  to  listeu.  It  is  a 
frightful  waste  of  life." 

She  sighed,  and  on  the  last  of  these  conversations 
said:  "Mrs.  Bishop,  I've  resolved  to  try  the  experi- 
ment. I  am  not  so  afraid  of  the  increased  butcher  bills 
since  I  have  so  many  of  your  recipes." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  need  be;  but  you  can  easily  get 
an  idea  of  what  you  will  spend.  I  think  it  a  good  plan 
to  write  out  a  sort  of  list  every  week ;  it  saves  thinking 
each  day  what  to  have  for  dinner,  and,  of  course,  can  be 
modified  according  to  market  prices.  I  limit  myself  to 
certain  prices  :  and,  if  I  find  some  articles  dear  one  day, 
I  can  easily  change  ;  for  instance,  cauliflowers  have  been 
wonderfully  cheap  this  fall,  and  twice  I  have  got  a  small 
one — large  enough  for  us  two  —  for  10  cents;  to-day 
I  meant  to  have  fried  cauliflower,  and  found  a  very  small 
one  was  20  cents  ;  of  course  I  did  not  get  it.  You 
might  draw  up  some  sort  of  a  list  of  provisions  for  a 
certain  time,  allowing  for  the  extra  person,  and  get  a 
close  idea  of  your  probable  expenses." 

"  I  wish  you  would  help  me." 

"  I  will,  gladly." 

Later  in  the  day,  Mrs.  Lennox  came  in  much  excited. 
"  My  dear  !  Mrs.  Framley's  chambermaid  has  a  sister 
expected  to  arrive  from  Ireland  this  very  week,  and  she 
is  trying  to  get  a  place  for  her  ;  and  I  am  tempted  to  try 
her.  She  is  sixteen,  and  the  sister  says  for  the  first 
three  months  she  will  let  her  live  with  nice  people  for 
very  little." 

"  I  would  by  all  means  engage  her  if  Mrs.  Framley 
thinks  well  of  the  sister." 

"  Yes.     She  says  she  is  respectable  and  clean." 

"  That 's  about  all  one  can  hope  for,  and  I  think  it  is  a 
fortunate  chance." 

"I  shall  decide.  Oh,  think  of  my  having  another  pair 
of  working  hands  in  my  house:  such  a  weight  will  be 
off  my  shoulders,  and  this  saves  me  going  to  Castle 
Garden.'* 


152  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Molly  had  decided  to  write  her  own  bills  of  fare  for 
the  week,  as  it  would  save  her  thinking  each  day,  and 
she  could  manage  better,  knowing  beforehand  all  she 
would  need.  Accordingly,  on  the  first  of  the  month, she 
wrote  out  the  following  as  her  programme  for  the  week's 
dining.  The  breakfasts  so  often  came  out  of  the  dinner 
that  she  did  uot  need  to  make  special  arrangement  r--^- 


BiLLs  OF  Fare. 

Noodle  Soup. 
Braised  Beef.  Cabbage  a  la  Creme. 

Fried  Potatoes. 
Beets.  Cheese  Omelette. 

Polka  Pudding  and  Sauce. 


Filets  de  Sole  with  Bechamel  Sauce. 

Miroton  of  Beef . 

Green  Peas.  Potato  Balls. 

Iced  Cream  Coffee. 

Cake.  Fruit, 


Black  Bean  Soup, 

Chicken  Fricassee, 

Potato  Croquettes.  Peas. 

King  William^ s  Pudding. 

Fruit. 


Cod,  with  Hollandaise  Sauce, 

Roast  Mutton. 

Stewed  Onions.  Scalloped  Potatoes. 

Frozen  Bananas.  Cake, 


Clear  Soup  with  Royal  Custard. 

Fried  Fowl  {French  fashion).  Sweet  Bread, 

Tomatoes^  au  graf.in.  Stuffed  Potatoes. 

Vanilla  Souffle  Pudding,  Hard  Sauce. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  153 

German  Soup. 

Boiled  Mutton.  Stewed  Onions. 

Potatoes. 

Macaroni.  Cheese. 

Spoonful  Pudding^  Almond  Sauce. 

Fruit. 


Raw  Oysters. 

Mutton^  Re  served.  Stewed  Onions. 

Dresden  Patties.  Potatoes. 

Old  English  Fritters. 

Fruit. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

MARTA'S    noodles BRAISED    BEEF HOW  TO   ADAPT 

one's    MATERIALS POLKA   PUDDING  AND    SAUCE. 

I  HAVE  said  before  that  Molly  had  repeated,  as  often 
as  she  could,  the  dishes  she  had  first  taught  Marta,  so 
that  she  might  not  get  confused,  and  might  know  thor- 
oughly a  few  things.  She  hoped  by  this  means  to  be 
able  to  depend  upon  her  for  certain  dishes.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  this  new  month  Marta  seemed  to  have  learned 
thoroughly  how  to  make  clear  soup,  white  sauce,  bread, 
and  to  fry  ;  and  to  Molly  this  did  not  seem  a  bad  result. 
In  knowing  how  to  make  clear  soup,  she  knew  the  prin- 
ciple of  soup-making,  and  could  make  any  other  meat 
soup,  —  also  in  learning  this  she  had  learned  what  slow 
boiling  really  meant,  and  could  therefore  boil  meat  well. 
To  make  white  sauce  perfectly  meant  to  do  many  other 
things  of  which  that,  or  its  modifications,  are  the  founda- 
tion. Whether  Marta's  intelligence  was  quick  enough 
to  show  her  the  value  of  the  key  she  held,  that  good 
white  sauce  meant  good  bechamel  sauce,  good  celery 
sauce,  lobster  sauce,  poulette  and  all  the  long  list  of 
sauces  with  high-sounding  French  names,  that  seem  so 
hopelessly  unattainable  to  ordinary  cooks,  as  well  as  all 
kinds  of  white  soups,  and  many  sweet  dishes,  —  that 
she  would  see  and  apply  all  this  was  a  great  deal  too 
much  to  hope ;  but  if  she  would  only  keep  her  execution 
of  what  she  could  do  up  to  the  mark,  Molly  would  feel 
that  her  efforts  were  far  from  wasted. 

"  If  she  will  only  not  be  content  with  having  accom- 
plished these  things  a  few  times,  and  will  not  become 
careless  as  she  gets  familiar,  T  must  be  very  thankful ; " 
but  this  was  just  what  Molly  did  fear.     The  bread,  al- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  155 

though  light  and  good,  was  never  twice  alike,  unless 
INIolly  superintended  the  making;  which  assured  lier  that 
Marta  had  taken  to  "  guessing  "  or,  what  was  as  bad,  to 
measuring  carelessly.  Carefully  she  explained  to  her 
that  a  pint  of  flour  did  not  mean  all  that  could  be  taken  up 
on  a  pint  measure,  or  that  a  pint  of  water  did  not  mean 
the  larger  half  of  a  quart  measure ;  but  the  bread  still 
came  to  table,  sometimes  coarse-grained,  sometimes  very 
close,  showing  it  was  sometimes  made  very  wet,  at  others 
stiff,  but  always  light  and  sweet  so  far ;  but  she  feared 
this  lack  of  exactness  might  run  into  other  things.  If 
so,  it  could  not  be  helped.  Molly  knew  that  many 
very  good  cooks,  who  turned  out  excellent  dishes,  never 
measured,  could  never  tell  how  they  did  it,  or  give  an  in- 
telligible recipe.  Such  cases  had  been  often  quoted  to 
her  as  a  reason  why  the  precision  of  scientific  cooking, 
as  taught  in  cooking-schools,  was  nonsense ;  but  she  knew 
that  those  who  cooked  thus,  although  they  might  produce 
excellent  results  four  times  out  of  five,  the  fifth  time 
might  make  a  failure  ;  they  are  always  subject  to  good 
and  bad  "luck"  with  their  cooking;  and  she  knew,  too, 
there  are  a  certain  few  who  are  gifted  with  such  a  cor- 
rect eye  for  quantity  that  they  could  calculate  the 
weight  of  a  thing  to  a  quarter  of  an  ounce,  —  she  herself 
had  this  gift  to  a  certain  extent,  but  she  never  trusted 
to  it, — yet  she  understood  that  a  cook  with  that  excep- 
tional gift  might  do  as  well  without  weighing  as  with  it; 
the  only  misfortune  was  that  the  generality  were  not  so 
gifted,  but  believed  themselves  to  be  so,  and  the  result 
is  the  frequent  uncertainty  with  which  one  so  often 
awaits  the  appearance  of  Dinah's  or  Delia's  efforts,  that 
result  depending  on  their  "  good  "  or  "  bad  luck." 

However,  Molly  was  convinced  that  she  had  done  her 
part  with  Marta,  and  that  if  she  failed  in  the  things  she 
knew,  it  would  not  be  because  she  did  not  thoroughly 
understand ;  and  she  could  now  try  to  teach  her  sev- 
eral new  dishes. 

The  bill  of  fare  for  the  day  was  noodle  soup,  braised 
beef,  cabbage  with  white  sauce,  fried  potatoes,  and 
polka  pudding. 


156  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

About  a  pint  of  clear  soup  was  on  hand,  and  Molly 
had  many  times  intended  to  let  Marta  show  her  how  to 
make  the  German  noodles  that  had  so  pleased  her  when 
she  first  saw  them  ;  but  on  days  when  clear  soup  was 
made  or  used,  something  had  always  called  her  attention  ; 
and  even  to-day  was  ironing-day,  but  she  helped  Marta 
through  with  her  work,  so  that  there  might  be  half  an 
hour  to  spare  without  putting  the  ironing  back,  and 
then  while  Marta  was  finishing  she  prepared  the  des- 
sert. 

She  had  a  recipe  for  polka  pudding  which  she  had 
often  heard  praised,  and  now,  as  she  had  the  materials, 
would  try.  I  say  she  had  the  materials ;  but  Molly  was 
very  clever  in  *'  cutting  her  coat  according  to  the  cloth." 
The  recipe  called  for  bitter  almonds  as  well  as  sweet ; 
she  knew  by  flavoring  a  portion  of  the  sweet  almonds 
with  the  extract  of  bitter  she  would  have  the  same  ef- 
fect. Rose-water  also  was  called  for ;  she  poured  a  few 
drops  of  the  extract  of  rose  into  a  table-spoonful  of 
water,  and  she  had  it,  or  at  least  the  efPect. 

The  recipe  was  as  follows  :  — 

Polka  Pudding.  —  One  pint  of  milk,  boiling  hot, 
two  table-spoonfuls  of  corn  starch  mixed  smooth  in  a 
little  cold  milk ;  then  pour  the  boiling  milk  on  it  and  stir 
all  the  time  ;  thicken  over  the  fire  and  mix,  when  cooked, 
with  a  table-spoonful  of  rose  water,  a  table-spoonful  and 
a  half  of  thick  cream  ;  or  stir  in  one  and  a  half  of  butter, 
one  ounce  of  bitter  almonds  and  one  of  sweet  ones 
blanched,  and  beaten  with  a  little  white  of  egg  to  pre- 
vent oiling;  beat  the  yolk  and  the  rest  of  the  white 
with  another  whole  egg  very  light.  Mix  all  together,  let 
it  come  to  the  boiling-point,  put  it  into  an  oiled  mould, 
and  set  in  ice. 

There  were  one  or  two  peculiarities  about  this  pud- 
ding ;  it  was  unsweetened,  except  by  the  sauce,  which 
might  make  it  a  pleasant  change  from  sweeter  dessert, 
and  it  was  to  be  served  ice  cold  on  hot  plates  with  hot 
sauce. 

The  first  thing  was  to  blanch  the  almonds,  which  she 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  157 

did  by  putting  them  in  a  bowl  and  pouring  water  over 
them,  which  she  was  careful  to  have  quite  boiling ;  when 
they  had  stood  two  minutes,  she  took  them  out  of  the 
water  with  a  fork,  laid  them  on  a  coarse  cloth,  and 
pressed  them  between  her  thumb  and  finger,  when  they 
slipped  easily  out  of  their  skins.  She  dropped  them  as 
they  were  done  into  cold  water  to  keep  them  white. 
When  all  were  finished,  she  dried  and  weighed  them 
(two  ounces  of  almonds  blanched  being  very  different 
from  the  same  weight  in  their  skins),  and  then,  as  she 
had  no  mortar,  she  took  the  chopping-bowl,  assured  her- 
self it  bore  no  odor  or  trace  of  herbs,  and  first  chopped 
them  fine ;  then  with  the  potato-masher,  which  she 
never  used  for  its  legitimate  purpose,  pounded  them.^ 
One-half  of  these  she  flavored  strongly  with  bitter  almond 
and  the  rest  of  the  recipe  she  followed  exactly,  using 
cream  instead  of  butter,  as  she  had  it,  having  saved  it 
from  dessert  the  day  before  for  this  purpose. 

She  measured  the  table-spoonfuls  of  corn  starch  very 
carefully,  for  nothing  is  more  disagreeable  than  too 
much,  and  she  boiled  it  in  a  saucepan  set  in  another  of 
water,  so  that  the  starch  might  be  long  cooked  without 
burning.  She  removed  it  from  the  range  to  the  table, 
and  allowed  it  to  go  slightly  off  the  boil  before  stirring 
in  the  eggs ;  then  returned  it  to  the  range  and  stirred  till 
it  came  to  the  boiling-point  again. 

When  all  was  mixed,  she  poured  it  into  an  oiled 
mould  and  set  it  in  the  ice ;  and  then  prepared  to 
watch  Marta,  who  was  delighted  with  her  accomplish- 
ment, and  to  see  it  so  much  appreciated.  Her  face 
fairly  beamed  as  she  found  herself  giving  instead  of 
taking  instruction.  She  said  very  little,  but  Molly 
stood  l)y  and  noted  what  she  did. 

She  beat  one  egg  till  it  frothed,  put  to  it  a  pinch  of 
salt,  and  then  worked  in  as  much  flour  as  it  would  take, 
about  three  table-spoonfuls  ;  she  kneaded  it  till  it  was  a 
smooth  and  firm,  yet  elastic,  paste.  This  she  rolled  out 
on  the  pastry-board  (very  slightly  flouring  it)  till  it  was 

1  An  equal  weight  of  almond  paste  may  be  used. 


158  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

as  thin  as  writing-paper.  So  far,  this  was  exactly  the 
recipe  for  home-made  vermicelli  noodles,  which  was  fa- 
miliar to  Molly.  When  the  paste  was  as  thin  as  she 
could  get  it  on  the  board,  Marta  lifted  the  sheet  of  yel- 
low paste,  laid  a  cloth  folded  on  the  board,  and  then  the 
paste  on  that ;  this  enabled  her  to  roll  it  still  thinner ; 
then  she  removed  the  cloth  and  folded  one -half  the 
paste,  and  asked  Molly  for  her  thimble.  Molly  washed 
it  and  gave  it  to  her,  and  Marta  stamped  a  couple  of 
dozen  little  disks  out  of  the  double  paste.  They  were  so 
closely  stuck  together  that  they  looked  like  little  circles 
of  yellow  card.  Marta  now  took  a  little  pint  iron  sauce- 
pan, put  into  it  two  large  table-spoonfuls  of  lard,  and  set 
it  to  get  smoking  hot.  While  this  was  reaching  the 
point  of  heat  required,  she  took  the  little  sfleet  of  paste 
she  had  not  used,  and  which  was  still  single  and  had 
got  very  slightly  dry,  while  the  disks  were  being  made, 
which  she  explained  it  was  necessary  for  it  to  do.  She 
then  rolled  up  the  thin  sheet  closely,  and  cut  it  at  in- 
tervals of  the  third  of  an  inch  ;  the  paste  now  looked 
like  so  much  yellow  tape ;  and  these,  she  informed 
Molly,  were  either  to  be  dried  near  the  fire  on  a  sieve 
and  kept  for  soups,  or  to  be  boiled  in  water  and  dressed 
with  butter.  As  she  spoke,  she  tossed  the  shreds  up 
lightly  with  a  fork  for  some  little  time.  The  fat  was 
now  hot ;  as  hot,  Molly  remarked,  as  for  croquettes, 
proved  by  the  fact  that  the  little  disks  when  dropped 
into  it  (the}'  became  balls  the  minute  they  were  in  the 
fat)  took  a  pale,  golden  hue  ;  one-half  minute  colored 
them  all  alike  ;  they  were  then  lifted  out  with  a  skim- 
mer, and  Marta  laid  them  on  a  clean  cloth.  Molly  said 
nothing,  because  she  did  not  want  at  this  time  to  inter- 
fere with  what  was  Marta's  specialty,  but  in  doing  them 
herself  would  use  paper  to  drain  them  instead  of  greas- 
ing a  cloth. 

"  I  am  ever  so  much  obliged,  Marta ;  these  are  a  real 
novelty.  Now  we  will  have  the  others  boiled  for 
luncheon  and  some  day  you  can  make  them  for  dinner. 
Mr.  Bishop  is  so  fond  of  anything  of  the  sort.  I  want 
to  see  you  cook  them." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  159 

It  was  time  for  them  to  be  cooked  now,  Marta  de- 
clared, and  she  put  on  water  to  boil  with  a  tea-spoonful 
of  salt  in  it ;  then  she  grated  about  a  table-spoonful  of 
cheese,  and  when  the  water  was  fast  boiling  dropped 
the  "  noodles  "  into  it.  She  knew  no  other  name  than 
this  for  both  the  balls  and  the  ribbons.  They  were  to 
boil  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  she  said,  and  every  now  and 
then  she  carefully  stirred  them  up  with  a  fork  not  so  as 
to  break  them,  but  to  keep  them  separate.  vShe  put  a 
large  table-spoonful  of  butter  in  a  little  saucepan  and 
set  it  to  get  hot.  When  the  noodles  were  strained  off,  the 
grated  cheese  was  sprinkled  over  them  with  a  little  pep- 
per and  salt,  then  the  butter  was  put  to  get  boiling  hot,  and 
immediately  poured  over  them.  They  were  again  stirred 
up  with  the  fork,  and,  when  the  butter  was  well  through 
them,  Marta  pronounced  them  ready ;  it  was  of  course 
quite  a  small  dish,  but  Molly  told  Marta  if  it  proved 
half  as  good  as  it  was  pretty,  she  would  be  called  on  to 
make  it  very  often. 

It  did  not  belie  its  appearance.  "  Marta,  this  is  quite 
a  discovery !  I  wonder  if  you  can  make  any  more  Ger- 
man dainties  ?  " 

Marta  smilingly  said  she  knew  only  one  or  two  really 
nice  things. 

"  Then  you  shall  make  them  ;  but  don't  you  see,  you 
silly  girl,  that  when  you  knew  how  to  fry  those  little 
balls  you  knew  how  to  fry  many  other  things  ?  " 

"  I  see  it  now,  but  I  did  not  before.  I  thought  every- 
thing else  had  to  be  done  in  a  different  way  in  a  flat 
pan." 

"  Well,  when  you  make  these  ribbon  noodles  again, 
you  will  have  to  take  the  whole  of  the  paste  made  from 
the  egg,  and  double  the  butter  dressing  ;  for  I  'm  sure 
Mr.  Bishop  will  be  delighted  with  them." 

In  the  afternoon,  as  the  irons  were  on  the  stove,  Molly 
put  the  beef  in  the  oven  and  made  what  Soyer  calls  a 
"  roast-braise."  She  took  a  small  earthen  crock  or  pan 
and  put  into  it  a  large  onion,  a  small  carrot  and  turnip, 
two  sprigs  0^  parsley  and  a  bay  leaf ;  on  these  she  laid 


160  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

some  fat  pork  shaved,  and  on  that  the  meat  beef  neatly 
skewered  and  tied.  Over  this  meat  she  put  a  thin  layer 
of  fat  pork,  and  over  all  a  cup  of  water  and  a  flour  and 
water  paste,  so  that  the  steam  could  not  escape.  This 
was  to  be  left  in  the  oven,  which  was  not  allowed  to  get 
very  hot  for  the  first  two  and  a  half  hours,  —  just  hot 
enough  to  keep  the  roast  simmering. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

PRIED  POTATOES — POLKA    SAUCE — CLEARING  GRAVY 
OP  FAT  —  A  VARIETY  OP  CAKES  PROM  ONE  RECIPE. 

Molly  had  intended  showing  Marta  how  to  fry  po- 
tatoes, so  as  to  have  them  crisp.  If  she  gave  directions 
merely,  the  girl  would  naturally  think,  being  so  much 
smaller  than  other  things,  they  would  be  cooked  as  soon, 
and  the  result  would  be  brown  and  flabby.  She  had 
waited  to  do  this  until  some  other  dish  needed  her  in  the 
kitchen  till  the  last  minute  before  dinner,  and  to-day,  as 
the  sauce  for  the  pudding  had  to  be  made,  she  could  direct 
the  one  while  she  made  the  other,  and  she  was  anxious, 
too,  to  see  to  the  taking  up  of  the  beef  and  making  the 
gravy.  She  went  to  the  kitchen  in  good  time  to  attend 
to  this.  Half  an  hour  before  the  meat  was  to  come  out, 
the  oven  was  allowed  to  get  very  hot.  When  the  paste 
was  removed  from  the  crock,  the  savory  steam  filled  the 
air.  The  beef  was  lifted  from  the  crock,  put  in  the 
dripping-pan  and  set  on  the  top  shelf  of  the  oven,  now 
quite  sharp,  for  half  an  hour,  to  brown,  while  Marta  pre- 
pared the  cabbage.  The  potatoes,  peeled  and  cut  into 
thin  slices,  had  been  lying  in  ice-water  since  morning. 
They  were  now  drained  and  dried  thoroughly,  and  the 
kettle  of  lard  was  put  on  the  range  to  heat.  Then  Molly 
skimmed  the  fat  from  the  gravy  in  the  crock  and  poured 
it  through  a  strainer  into  a  small  saucepan,  and  she 
then  set  Marta  to  rub  as  much  of  the  vegetables  through 
as  possible. 

"  Marta,  you  need  not  chop  the  cabbage  to-night ;  for 

a  change  you  will  press  all  the  water  you  possibly  can 

from  it,  cut  it  across  pie-fashion  when  it  is  in  the  dish, 

and  make  a  gill  of  nice  white  sauce,  using,  remember;, 

11 


162  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

half  a  table-spoonful  of  butter,  half  one  of  flour  and  a  gill 
of  milk." 

Molly  was  draining  the  cold  water  from  the  cabbage 
as  she  spoke,  and  put  it  into  the  boiling  water;  then,  as 
it  was  too  soon  to  make  the  sauce,  she  went  to  arrange 
the  dining-table  —  which  was  something  she  found  quite 
impossible  to  teach  Marta. 

When  she  returned  Marta  had  rubbed  the  greater  part 
of  the  vegetables  through.  Molly  put  a  cup  of  boiling 
water  into  the  crock,  stirred  it  well  round  the  sides,  then 
poured  it  through  the  remains  of  the  vegetables  in  the 
strainer  into  the  saucepan,  and  then  set  it  on  the  range 
to  boil  fast ;  it  was  still  thick  with  fat. 

"  Marta,  when  that  boils  throw  in  a  little  cold  water, 
then  skim  it;  do  that  three  or  four  times  till  it  is  quite 
clear  of  fat,  then  set  it  where  it  will  boil  rapidly,  to  get 
rid  of  the  water  you  have  thrown  in.  When  the  grease 
is  entirely  off  it,  you  can  stir  in  a  dessert-spoonful  of 
brown  thickening." 

Molly  needed  for  the  polka  sauce  one  table-spoonful 
of  butter,  well  washed  to  remove  salt,  two  large  table- 
spoonfuls  of  powdered  sugar,  and  a  glass  of  wine,  and 
the  directions  were  as  follows  : 

"  Beat  sugar  and  butter  till  very  light  and  white,  make 
the  sherry  quite  hot,  add  it  gradually  to  the  butter  and  su- 
gar, beating  all  the  time,  stand  it  in  a  saucepan  of  boiling 
water,  and  do  not  cease  beating  till  all  are  at  the  boiling- 
point." 

Molly  had  to  content  herself  with  beating  the  sugar  and 
butter  to  a  very  light  cream  and  measuring  the  wine ;  she 
must  trust  Marta  to  finish  it  while  they  were  at  dinner, 
as  it  was  evidently  a  sauce  that  could  not  stand. 

When  Marta  had  thickened  the  gravy  for  the  meat, 
Molly  seasoned  it  with  pepper  and  salt,  let  it  boil  fast 
till  very  rich,  then  took  it  from  the  range  and  left  it  to 
stand  for  a  few  minutes.  Marta  had  the  soup  on,  and  the 
noodles  in  the  bottom  of  the  tureen. 

"  Now,  Marta,  try  the  fat,  and  put  in  the  potatoes  if  it 
is  as  hot  as  for  your  noodles.     You  must  leave  them  till 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  163 

the  fat  recovers  the  heat  —  it  is  of  course  chilled  by  the 
cold  potatoes  going  into  it.  If  you  were  frying  for  a 
large  family  you  would  only  put  in  part  at  a  time,  but  for 
our  little  dish  you  may  safely  put  in  all." 

In  about  one  minute  they  were  drawn  away  from  the 
intense  heat. 

"  That  is  because  they  take  at  least  eight  minutes  to 
cook.  They  will  be  tender  before,  but  not  crisp,  and  if 
they  were  kept  in  the  hottest  part  they  would  be  dark 
in  color  long  before  ten  minutes.  Understand,  you  must 
not  put  them  where  they  will  cook  slowly,  but  where 
they  will  cook  more  slowly  than  right  on  the  fire,  and 
you  can  safely  make  your  white  sauce  while  they  cook. 
As  I  am  here  I  '11  take  up  the  meat,  but  I  want  you  to 
notice  that  the  gravy  has  still  a  little  fat  which  has 
formed  on  it  like  a  skin,  and  can  be  lifted  with  a  fork. 
One  way  of  clearing  very  greasy  stock  or  gravy  is  to 
boil  it  fast,  let  it  stand,  then  remove  the  skin  that  forms, 
repeating  this  process  several  times  if  necessary.  Where 
there  is  time,  this  is  really  the  best  way,  for  there  is  no 
need  to  watch  it ;  simply  put  it  on  the  fire  and  remove 
it  as  you  go  about  your  other  work. 

"  Now  those  potatoes  are  done  —  lift  them  out  with 
the  skimmer,  lay  them  on  that  brown  paper  I  have  put 
ready,  sprinkle  salt  on  them  and  then  turn  them  into 
a  dish.  The  beef  is  brown  now  —  you  can  take  it  up, 
pour  part  of  the  gravy  round  it  and  put  the  rest  in  a 
sauceboat.     Now  I  '11  leave  the  rest  to  you." 

The  polka  pudding  Harry  pronounced  delicious,  and 
exactly  to  his  taste,  but  Molly  thought  she  would  have 
preferred  it  slightly  sweetened ;  but  the  combination  of 
hot  and  cold,  eccentric  as  it  seemed,  was  very  pleasant. 

After  dinner  Mrs.  Lennox  came  in  for  a  chat,  as  she 
occasionally  did,  leaving  Mr.  Lennox  at  home  with  the 
children.  She  wanted  to  tell  Molly  that  she  expected 
her  new  maid  by  the  next  Inman  steamer.  Her  sister 
was  going  to  meet  her  on  its  arrival  and  bring  her  right 
out. 

"  Make  up  your  mind  to  possess  yourself  in  patience 


164  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

for  the  first  few  days,"  said  Molly,  "  for  you  will  no 
doubt  need  it,  and  then  you  may  have  real  comfort." 

"  Oh  yes,  I  think  I  am  patient.  To-morrow  I  am  go- 
ing to  make  a  cake ;  can  you  give  me  a  good  recipe  ? 
Better  than  the  one  I  have,  I  mean." 

"  That  depends  on  what  it  is.  Do  you  want  a  cup 
cake  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  one  I  have  is  what  they  call  feather  cake, 
and  very  light  and  nice,  but  I  would  like  a  change,  I 
confess.  The  recipe  is  one  table-spoonful  of  butter,  one 
cup  of  sugar,  one  cup  and  a  half  of  flour,  half  a  cup  of 
milk,  one  quarter  tea-spoonful  of  soda,  half  one  of  cream 
of  tartar,  two  eggs  and  a  pinch  of  salt.  Then  I  stir  but- 
ter, sugar  and  eggs  together,  beating  them  hard,  then 
add  flour  in  which  the  cream  of  tartar  is  mixed  and  milk 
by  degrees,  and  I  dissolve  the  soda  in  the  least  drop  of 
boiling  water,  and  bake  it  in  a  good  steady  oven.  I  use 
the  same  recipe  for  jelly  cake." 

"  I  know  that  cake,"  said  Molly ;  "  it  is  an  old  favorite, 
and  for  a  quite  plain  one  it  is  very  good  indeed,  and  for 
children  or  where  it  is  quickly  eaten  up  I  should  use  it ; 
but  I  have  to  make  a  richer  cup  cake,  using  very  much 
more  butter  or  butter  and  lard,  because  for  one  thing  I 
like  a  cake  that  is  more  like  pound  than  sponge,  and,  for 
another,  I  want  it  to  keep  fresh.  One  loaf  made  with  a 
cup  and  a  half  of  flour  lasts  us  a  fortnight,  and  by  using 
nearly  half  as  much  butter  as  flour  it  is  better  the  last 
day  than  the  first." 

"  I  thought  so  much  butter  would  make  it  heavy." 

"  No,  if  properly  made  you  may  use  equal  quantities 
of  butter  and  flour  as  in  pound  cake,  or  half  a  pound  of 
butter  to  one  of  flour  as  in  queen  cake  ;  but  a  cake  with 
much  butter  needs  more  care  in  baking,  and  it  takes 
longer  than  one  with  less  —  pound  cake  takes  from  two 
to  three  hours." 

"  I  am  fond  of  pound  cake,  but  I  never  aspire  to  make 
one." 

*'  It  is  easy  enough  to  make,  but  not  so  easy  to  bake. 
While  eggs  and  butter  keep  fairly  cheap,  I  think  I  shall 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  165 

make  one  to  keep,  so  that  it  will  be  always  on  hand,  for 
the  minute  eggs  and  butter  get  more  expensive  I  shall 
use  as  few  as  possible  and  make  only  fruit  cake." 

"  Why  don't  you  get  eggs  now  while  they  are  cheap  ? 
I  get  eggs  from  a  farmer  at  twenty-two  cents,  but  he  tells 
me  they  will  be  twenty-five  by  the  end  of  the  month." 

"  I  pay  that  now  at  the  store,  but  if  I  can  get  a  few 
dozen  at  twenty-two  cents,  it  will  be  an  economy  to  take 
them.     I  will  put  them  down  in  lime." 

"  That  is  what  I  have  wanted  to  do,  but  I  tried  once, 
and  put  ten  dozen  down  when  they  were  fifteen  cents, 
and  they  did  not  keep  at  all." 

"  We  '11  do  them  together  if  you  like ;  but  to  return 
to  the  cake,  I  don't  believe  you  can  improve  on  feather 
cake  for  your  purpose,  but  you  can  vary  it  ad  infinitum. 
By  leaving  out  a  good  table-spoonful  flour  and  adding 
grated  chocolate  and  flavoring  with  vanilla  you  have  a 
very  nice  chocolate  cake,  or  by  stirring  in  it  a  cup  of 
grated  cocoanut  or  one  of  walnut  meats  it  is  delicious,  or 
even  by  grating  the  peel  of  an  orange  and  part  of  the 
juice,  or  lemon-peel.  If  you  add  fruit  you  need  more 
butter,  say  two  table-spoonfuls,  or  it  will  be  crumbly  and 
dry." 

"  Thank  you  ;  I  never  thought  of  chocolate  cake.  I 
shall  try  it  to-morrow." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CANDIED  LEMON-PEEL TO  WHIP  CREAM  SOLID 

ICED  CREAM  COFFEE MADELEINE 

CAKE — POTATO  BALLS. 

The  Dext  day  not  being  a  very  busy  one  for  Marta, 
Molly  proposed  to  candy  the  lemon-peels,  that  had  been 
lying  in  brine  until  enough  had  been  collected.  There 
were  now  the  peels  of  nearly  a  dozen.  These  were  put 
on  in  cold  water,  and  when  they  had  boiled  an  hour  this 
was  thrown  away  and  fresh  cold  water  put  on  them,  the 
object  being  simply  to  freshen  them.  When  they  began  to 
get  tender  Molly  tasted  them  to  see  if  any  salt  remained 
in  them,  but  she  found  them  quite  fresh  ;  had  they  not 
been,  she  would  have  changed  the  water  once  more. 
When  they  were  tender  enough  to  run  a  straw  through 
them,  which  was  when  they  had  boiled  nearly  three 
hours,  they  were  poured  off,  and  a  pint  and  a  half  of 
water  and  a  pound  and  a  half  of  sugar  were  put  to  boil 
to  syrup,  while  Molly  and  Marta  cut  the  peels  into  chips 
less  than  an  inch  long  and  a  quarter  inch  wide.  To  ac- 
complish this  quickly  Molly  told  Marta  to  cut  each  half 
lemon-peel  into  three  equal  sizes,  then  to  lay  one  on  the 
other,  and  cut  across  all  three ;  the  chips  were  about  the 
right  size  thus  cut. 

When  the  syrup  boiled  the  chips  were  dropped  in ;  it 
was  allowed  to  boil  again,  and  to  keep  boiling  slowly  till 
the  peels  were  clear,  then  more  rapidly  till  there  was  so 
little  liquid  that  they  were  in  danger  of  burning ;  then 
they  were  drawn  to  the  back  of  the  range  for  the  re- 
maining syrup  to  dry  away  without  burning.  When 
they  were  at  this  point  Molly  sprinkled  half  a  pound  of 
sugar  through  them  and  spread  them  out  on  plates,  tell- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  167 

ing  Marta  to  put  them  in  the  oven  with  the  door  open, 
and  let  them  remain  all  night  to  dry. 

She  explained  to  Marta,  if  ever  she  tried  to  do  them 
alone,  to  remember  there  must  be  always  enough  syrup 
to  cover  the  peels  at  first,  made  in  the  proportion  of  a 
pound  of  sugar  to  a  pint  of  water. 

Of  course,  although  the  process  was  a  long  one,  the 
only  attention  required  was  to  prevent  the  peels  burning 
toward  the  last. 

Molly  knew  she  would  be  in  the  kitchen  a  good  deal 
this  week,  for  she  did  not  expect  Marta  to  be  able  to  do 
much  alone.  The  day  on  which  she  candied  lemon-peels 
she  planned  to  make  iced  cream  coffee,  a  cake,  and  show 
Marta  about  the  dinner. 

Mrs.  Winfield's  freezer  was  very  small,  the  cylinder 
holding  only  a  quart.  Molly  had  not  tried  it  hitherto, 
but  home-made  ices  were  so  economical  that  she  was 
anxious  to  become  familiar  with  it.  After  breakfast  a  cup 
of  black  coffee  was  made  by  pouring  half  a  pint  of  water 
through  two  table-spoonfuls  of  finely-ground  coffee,  in 
the  same  way  as  their  usual  breakfast  coffee  was  made, 
only  of  double  strength.  To  this  was  added  a  gill  of  thick 
cream  and  half  a  pint  of  boiled  milk,  and  four  table- 
spoonfuls  of  sugar.  This  was  poured  into  the  cylinder 
and  frozen.  Molly  had  ordered  half  a  pint  of  cream  to 
be  kept  for  her  the  day  before,  so  that  she  would  be  sure 
of  having  it  from  twenty-four  to  thirty-six  hours  old, 
and  the  other  gill  was  left  in  the  ice  till  it  was  thoroughly 
chilled.  Buying  cream  in  such  small  quantity  she  could 
not  afford  to  have  the  usual  milky  residuum,  and  knew 
the  only  way  to  whip  it  solid  without  one  tea-spoonful  of 
waste,  was  to  have  it  at  least  twenty-four  hours  old,  and 
thoroughly  chilled,  then  to  beat  it  steadily,  without 
taking  the  beater  out  till  it  was  as  solid  as  the  white  of 
egg.  This  usually  happens  in  ten  minutes  with  a  pint 
of  cream,  but  if  the  kitchen  is  warm  and  it  does  not 
"  come  "  in  that  time,  it  is  often  an  economy  of  time  to 
set  it  in  the  ice,  just  as  it  is,  to  get  chilled  again  ;  there  is 
no  occasion  to  remove  the  froth  as  it  rises,  —  the  whip 
will  be  finer  and  firmer  without. 


168  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Marta  made  the  Madeleine  cake,  while  Molly  stood 
by,  recipe  in  hand. 

"  This  cake,  Marta,  has  no  milk,  and  therefore  re- 
quires no  baking-powder;  neither  queen  cake,  sponge 
cake,  pound  cake,  in  fact  none  of  the  finer  cakes  have 
milk,  and  they  are  raised  entirely  with  eggs.  But 
several  very  good  imitations  of  these  cakes  are  made 
with  baking-powder ;  the  saving  is  not  great,  and  a  cake 
made  without  chemicals  keeps  fresh  much  longer. 

"  Madeleine  Cake.  —  For  Madeleine  cake  you  must 
weigh  four  ounces  of  butter,  half  a  pound  of  sugar,  half 
a  pound  of  flour  twice  sifted  ;  then  grate  the  rind  of  half 
a  lemon  into  the  sugar,  separate  the  yolks  from  the  whites 
of  three  large  or  four  small  eggs,  put  two  table-spoonfuls 
of  wine  in  this  cup,  and,  before  you  begin  to  make  the 
cake,  butter  a  small  cake-pan.  Now  beat  the  whites  of 
the  eggs  till  you  can  turn  the  bowl  without  their  slipping, 
cream  the  butter  well,  then  beat  the  yolks  of  eggs  into 
it,  then  add  the  sugar  and  wine ;  beat  well  again,  and 
then  add  flour  and  whites  of  eggs  alternately,  and  when 
all  is  well  mixed,  pour  it  into  the  pan,  and  bake  it  in  a 
rather  slow  oven  for  an  hour. 

*'  I  am  having  only  half  the  recipe  made,  so  the  cake  is 
not  very  large  ;  but  we  are  such  small  cake-eaters  that  we 
get  tired  of  a  large  one.  Another  time,  if  you  make  this 
cake,  you  may  put  rose-water  or  peach-water  instead  of  the 
wine,  and  chopped  candied  lemon-peel  instead  of  the  grated 
peel.  You  see  the  batter  is  much  thicker  than  for  the  cup 
cake  3'ou  made,  but  if  at  any  time  you  use  flour  that  ab- 
sorbs more  moisture,  you  must  add  another  egg ;  this  is, 
as  it  should  be,  as  thick  as  pound-cake  batter,  —  which 
means,  as  thick  as  can  be  stirred.  It  is  more  a  paste  than 
a  batter.  Will  you  remember  that,  when  you  have  a 
recipe  which  says  '  thick  as  pound-cake  batter "  ?  Any 
cake  with  baking-powder  made  as  thick  as  this  would  be 
spoiled.  It  would  be  tough,  with  great  holes  here  and 
there,  so  you  must  be  very  careful  not  to  confuse  the  two 
rules,  —  moderately  thick  batter  for  plain  cakes,  with 
milk  and  baking-powder  ;  very  thick  batter  for  the  richer 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  169 

ones,  made  without.  Yet,  of  course,  they  must  be  stirred 
with  a  spoon  ;  if  too  stiff  for  that,  your  flour  is  very  ab- 
sorbent, and  you  need  another  egg.  Remember  there  is 
never  any  harm  in  adding  an  egg  ;  it  will  never  spoil  your 
cake  as  too  much  milk  would  do. 

"  All  cakes  without  baking-powder  or  its  equivalents, 
soda  and  cream  of  tartar,  require  a  much  slower  oven 
than  those  with  them.  A  slow  oven  ruins  a  plain  cake,  a 
quick  one  spoils  a  rich  cake,  and  you  must  be  especially 
careful  to  turn  it  very  gently,  and,  in  taking  this  or  any 
cake  with  much  butter  in  it  from  the  oven,  to  put  it  on 
the  table  very  gently.  I  have  known  a  cake  to  come 
from  the  oven  perfect,  yet,  from  being  dropped  hastily 
on  the  table,  to  collapse  with  a  puff  of  steam  issuing 
from  it.  The  same  thing  may  happen  from  taking  it 
from  the  pan  while  quite  hoi,  or  from  its  not  being  quite 
cooked  through  ;  cakes  require  to  '  soak '  a  few  minutes 
even  after  a  broom  straw  comes  out  clean.  Lack  of 
knowledge  on  these  small  points  is  one  of  the  reasons 
why  many  people  who  make  excellent  plain  cakes  — 
by  which  I  mean  all  the  variety  of  cakes  with  baking- 
powder  and  little  butter  —  do  not  succeed  with  richer 
ones,  and  why  so  many  look  upon  pound  cake  as  so  very 
difficult,  while  it  is  really  as  easy  as  any  other." 

Marta  had  twice  succeeded  admirably  with  the  cup 
cake,  which  her  unfortunate  bang  of  the  oven  door  had 
spoiled  the  first  time. 

Instead  of  frying  the  Jilet  de  sole  for  dinner,  Molly  in- 
tended to  have  what  is  called  by  cooks  turbans  of  sole, 
with  bechamel.  She  put  the  bones  and  fins  left  from 
boning  a  flounder  (  see  directions,  Chapter  XIX.)  into  a 
pint  of  water,  and  let  them  stew  slowly  at  the  back  of 
the  range  ;  then  she  rolled  up  the  filets  and  fastened 
each  with  a  wooden  toothpick,  and  set  them  to  keep  cool 
until  she  was  ready  to  cook  them. 

For  the  miroton  of  beef  she  cut  from  the  braised  beef 
of  the  night  before  some  very  delicate  slices  and  laid 
them  in  an  oval  dish  ;  then  she  put  a  large  table-spoonful 
of  butter  in  a  small  saucepan,  and  let  it  get  very  hot, 


170  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

and  poured  into  it  a  cup  of  rice,  which  had  been  boiled 
till  just  dry  and  tender,  but  not  broken ;  this  was  fried, 
with  frequent  stirring,  till  pale  brown,  when  it  was 
poured  over  the  beef,  making  a  cover.  The  cold  gravy, 
which  was  a  solid  jelly  and  rather  too  highly  flavored  for 
the  purpose,  was  diluted  with  an  equal  quantity  of  hot 
water  and  a  pinch  of  salt ;  a  tea-spoonful  of  brown  thick- 
ening was  stirred  into  it,  and  enough  poured  over  the 
rice  to  moisten  the  whole,  but  not  make  it  "  sloppy ;  " 
the  dish  was  then  put  into  the  oven  to  remain  for  half 
an  hour. 

Marta  had  put  on  the  potatoes  early,  and  when  they 
were  boiled  she  mashed  them  (keeping  them  quite  hot) 
with  a  fork,  beating  it  rapidly  back  and  forth  till  they 
were  white  and  light ;  then  Molly  took  them  herself, 
and  told  her  to  strain  the  bones  from  the  fish  broth  or 
stock,  to  put  a  salt-spoonful  of  salt  in  it,  and  set  it  to  boil 
again ;  than  to  chop  some  parsley  very  fine,  to  cut  a  thin 
slice  of  blood-red  pickled  beet,  and  cut  from  it  with  a 
thimble  (in  the  absence  of  the  proper  tube)  little  disks 
the  size  of  a  dime. 

Molly  seasoned  the  potatoes  highly,  putting  to  them 
(there  was  a  scant  pint)  a  dessert-spoonful  of  butter,  salt, 
pepper,  a  grate  of  nutmeg,  and  a  little  parsley.  Then 
she  beat  an  ^gg  and  added  part  of  it,  keeping  out  only 
enough  to  brush  over  tha  balls  when  made.  She  formed 
each  about  the  size  of  a  small  orange,  and  brushed  them 
over  with  the  ^gg.  They  were  placed  on  a  buttered  tin 
and  put  in  the  oven  to  brown. 

The  turbans  of  fish  were  now  put  in  the  boiling  stock, 
and  boiled  till  they  were  milky-white  instead  of  clear  — 
about  eight  minutes ;  then  Molly  took  them  up  with  a 
skimmer,  and  in  a  small  saucepan  stirred  a  dessert-spoon- 
ful of  butter  and  one  of  flour  together,  letting  them  bub- 
ble a  few  seconds,  and  then  poured  a  gill  of  the  fish  stock 
and  half  one  of  milk  to  it,  stirring  all  the  time  (in  fact, 
making  white  sauce,  but  using  part  fish  stock  instead  of 
all  milk,  which  makes  bechamel  for  fish  ;  made  with 
veal  or  chicken  stock  it  is  bechamel  for  meat).     When 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  171 

seasoned  with  a  little  pepper,  the  little  rolled  filets  were 
placed  standing  up  in  a  small  dish,  and  the  sauce  poured 
all  over  them  to  mask  them  entirely  ;  then  Molly  took 
a  little  parsley  on  the  end  of  a  knife  and  carefully 
sprinkled  it  over  the  same,  which,  being  thick,  allowed 
it  to  rest  upon  it;  then  a  disk  of  the  blood-red  beet  was 
laid  deftly  on  the  top  of  each  turban,  and  a  very  pretty 
dish  was  the  result. 

"  Now,  Marta,  I  leave  you  to  bring  the  dinner  in  as 
soon  as  Mr.  Bishop  is  ready.  I  have  left  the  iced  coffee 
packed  ready ;  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  wipe  every  spot 
of  ice  and  salt  from  the  outside,  and  then  fill  two  cups 
from  it.  Pile  each  cup  very  higli  with  the  whipped 
cream,  and  bring  in  the  cake  at  the  same  time." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

FRICASSEED    CHICKEN  —  LEMON    HONEY  —  FRENCH 
ICING    TO    KEEP. 

The  next  day  Molly,  while  showing  Marta  how  to 
cook  the  dinner,  added  two  other  articles  to  those  she 
liked  to  have  always  ready.  Cake,  as  she  said,  was  so 
little  eaten  by  Harry  and  herself  that  a  loaf  lasted  a 
week,  even  with  Marta's  help,  for  she,  like  most  of  her 
countrywomen,  lived  largely  on  soups,  and  salad,  and 
vegetables,  and  cared  little  for  sweets.  She  did  not  care 
to  have  the  same  cake,  over  and  over  again,  and  had  she 
had  preserves  in  the  house,  would  have  found  it  easy 
to  convert  it  into  something  more  attractive.  Had  she 
been  keeping  house  long  enough,  jams  and  jellies  would 
have  been  in  her  store-room  ;  peaches  were  now  the 
only  available  fruit,  and  by  the  time  Molly  was  settled 
enough  to  tliink  of  doing  them  up,  they  were  both  poor 
and  dear,  and  in  the  boarding-house  they  had  been  rather 
surfeited  with  canned  peaches,  therefore  she  had  let  them 
go.  She  had  lately  been  unearthing  several  old  recipes 
of  her  mother's  and  grandmother's,  and  some  of  them 
she  meant  to  try.  There  was  one  called  "lemon  honey." 
It  was  of  more  modern  date  than  the  others,  and  as  her 
mother  had  written  under  it  "  nice  change  from  preserves 
for  cake,"  she  decided  to  make  it.  She  required  for  it 
half  a  pound  of  sugar,  the  rind  and  juice  of  a  large  fresh 
lemon,  the  yolks  of  three  eggs  and  white  of  one,  and 
three  ounces  of  sweet  butter. 

She  followed  directions,  which  were  to  put  the  butter 
and  sugar  together  in  a  saucepan.  (As  the  butter  was 
rather  salt  she  took  the  precaution  of  washing  it  first.) 
While  these  melted,  she  beat  the  eggs  thoroughly,  grated 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  173 

off  the  lemon  peel  into  them,  taking  care  to  remove  all 
the  yellow,  which  contains  the  flavor  of  lemon,  yet  not  to 
grate  deeply  enough  to  remove  any  of  the  white,  pithy 
rind,  and  then  mixed  all  together  over  the  fire  until  as 
thick  as  honey,  taking  care  it  did  not  scorch.  When 
done  it  was  thick,  smooth,  yellow,  and  semi -opaque. 
She  poured  it  into  two  small  jelly-glasses,  and  put  it 
away. 

While  she  was  doing  this,  Marta  had  been  picking 
over  a  scant  half  pint  of  black  beans  for  soup,  which 
when  washed  she  put  over  the  fire  in  a  quart  of  cold 
water,  in  which  she  also  put  one  small  onion,  two  cloves, 
a  tiny  pinch  of  marjoram,  one  slightly  larger  of  thyme, 
and  two  sprigs  of  parsley.  These  were  to  simmer  slowly, 
until  the  beans  could  be  rubbed  through  a  strainer,  and 
then  a  pint  of  strong  beef  stock,  which  had  been  making 
all  morning,  was  to  be  added,  and  all  boiled  together  for 
an  hour. 

When  the  soup  was  on,  Marta  prepared  a  fowl  as 
Molly  had  shown  her,  and  when  it  was  done  she  directed 
her  how  to  cut  it  into  neat  joints  for  fricassee,  without 
mangling  it.  While  Marta  was  doing  this  Molly  put  a 
pound  of  sugar  and  a  small  cup  of  water  into  a  small 
iron  saucepan  that  she  assured  herself  was  beautifully 
clean,  and  set  it  over  the  fire.  While  the  syrup  came  to 
the  boiling-point  she  turned  her  attention  to  the  fricas- 
see, and  told  Marta  to  lay  the  pieces  in  a  saucepan  with 
boiling  water  to  just  cover  them,  to  cut  an  onion  and 
half  a  medium  carrot  and  put  it  to  them,  with  a  level 
tea-spoonful  of  salt  and  the  sixth  of  one  of  pepper. 
These  were  to  simmer  very  slowly  until  the  fowl  was 
tender,  —  about  two  hours,  —  then  the  fowl  to  be  taken 
up,  the  gravy  strained  and  put  to  boil  very  fast,  till 
there  was  less  than  half  a  pint,  while  in  another  sauce- 
pan, half  a  pint  of  thick,  white  sauce  was  made  (a  good 
table-spoonful  of  butter  and  a  full  one  of  flour  to  half  a 
pint  of  milk).  This  was  added  to  the  chicken  gravy; 
they  were  stirred  smooth  together,  and  the  chicken  re- 
turned to  it  and  allowed  to  simmer  in  it  a  few  minutes. 


174  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

When  Molly  had  seen  the  fricassee  prepared  and 
slowly  stewinof.  she  turned  to  the  su^ar,  which  was  now 
boiling  fast.  She  removed  a  little  bluish  scum,  very 
carefully,  not  to  stir  the  syrup.  When  it  had  boiled  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  she  began  to  try  it,  dipping  the  fork 
into  it,  and  when  all  the  drops  had  run  off,  watching  if 
a  long  thread  remained.  At  first  the  drops  ran  off 
quickly,  and  she  waited  a  minute  before  trying  again, 
when  she  dipped  in  the  fork.  Drops  came  now  slow 
and  thick,  and  after  the  last  one  a  short  thick  end  re- 
mained, and  she  knew  the  point  had  nearly  come.  The 
next  dip  left  a  long,  floating  hair,  and  Molly  took  it  from 
the  fire  and  put  it  to  get  cool  while  she  prepared  the 
pudding,  for  which  she  used  the  following  recipe  :  Two 
apples,  finely  chopped,  two  ounces  of  grated  bread,  two 
of  sugar,  two  of  currants,  two  eggs  and  the  rind  of  a 
lemon,  grated  with  jgst  enough  of  the  juice  to  give  a 
perceptible  acid,  about  a  third  of  a  pinch  of  salt,  and 
the  third  of  a  small  nutmeg,  grated.  Stir  all  together 
and  pour  into  a  small,  buttered  bowl  that  it  will  just  fill. 

Molly  followed  the  recipe,  tied  a  cloth  over  the  top 
(see  directions  for  boiled  puddings,  Chapter  XIV.)  and 
put  it  into  fast-boiling  water  to  boil  continually  an  hour 
and  a  half. 

Lemon  sauce  was  prescribed  for  this  pudding,  but  as 
she  had  used  eggs  freely  lately  and  it  required  two,  she 
substituted  hard  sauce. 

The  boiled  sugar  was  now  about  blood-warm,  and  a 
thin  crust  like  ice  had  formed  over  it.  This  she  was 
vexed  to  see,  but  she  picked  it  off.  Underneath,  it  was 
as  thick  as  very  thick  molasses.  She  stirred  it  with  a 
spoon,  which  was  rather  hard  work,  and  in  about  five 
minutes  it  began  to  look  milky ;  this  by  continual  beat- 
ing changed  to  a  texture  like  lard.  Now  she  could  use 
the  spoon  no  longer,  and  worked  it  like  dough  in  her 
hands.  When  it  was  a  compact,  smooth  mass  she  pressed 
it  into  a  tumbler  and  covered  it  wdth  oiled  paper. 

Marta  had  been  looking  on  with  wondering  eyes  to 
see  simple  sugar  change  from  a  crystal-clear  syrup  to 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  175 

cream,  and  then   to  a  paste,  and  now  asked  what  it 
was  for. 

''  That  is  for  icing  cakes,  and  as  it  will  keep  just  so 
for  months,  it  is  always  ready.  I  should  have  called 
your  attention  to  the  boiling,  only  there  was  too  much 
on  hand,  and  there  are  such  delicate  degrees  in  boiling 
sugar  that  you  would  need  your  whole  attention  ;  some 
time  you  may  take  sugar  and  experiment ;  there  can  be 
no  waste  —  unless  you  burn  it,  but  that  will  not  be 
likely  —  for  it  can  be  boiled  over  and  over  again. 
When  it  is  perfectly  hoi\e.(\,  that  thin  crust  is  not  upon 
it,  only  a  jelly-like  skin  ;  but  when  it  does  form,  if  you 
find  it  is  only  on  the  surface,  you  can  take  it  ojff  and 
keep  it  to  sweeten  other  things,  but  should  it  be  grainy 
all  through,  you  must  put  water  to  it  again,  and  boil  it 
back  to  the  '  thread ' ;  on  the  other  hand,  if  you  take  it 
from  the  fire  an  instant  too  soon,  you  will  find  that,  in- 
stead of  forming  a  paste  that  you  can  handle,  it  will  re- 
main thick  cream.  This  would  do  for  icing,  as  the  cake 
absorbs  some  of  the  moisture,  but  it  would  not  do  to 
keep,  nor  could  you  add  much  flavoring  or  coloring,  so 
it  is  always  better  to  boil  it  to  a  higher  degree.  To- 
morrow I  '11  show  you  how  it  is  to  be  used.  Now  I 
think  you  understand  the  principle  of  frying  well  enough 
to  make  the  potato  croquettes  if  I  read  the  recipe  to 
you.  This  is  it :  Two  cups  of  potato,  mashed  very 
smooth  without  milk,  a  dessert-spoonful  of  butter,  salt  to 
taste,  a  pinch  of  white  pepper  and  a  very  little  nutmeg 
(rub  the  nutmeg  across  the  grater  twice),  and  the  yolk 
of  an  Qgg.  Mix  all  together ;  and  for  economy's  sake  I 
am  going  to  use  only  the  white  of  the  egg  for  crumb- 
ing ;  beat  it  with  two  tea-spoonfuls  of  water.  Make 
the  potatoes  into  the  shape  of  small  pears,  roll  each  in 
the  white  of  egg^  then  into  cracker  meal,  and  fry  just  as 
you  do  the  other  croquettes,  in  very  hot  fat.  When  they 
are  done,  stick  the  end  of  a  sprig  of  parsley  into  the 
end  of  each  one  to  simulate  the  stalk." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

BOILED     CUSTARD    FROZEN      BANANAS    USES    OF 

FRENCH    ICING SCALLOPED    POTATOES HOL- 

LANDAISE    SAUCE ROAST    OYSTERS 

UNEXPECTED    VISITORS. 

For  next  day's  dinner  Molly  bought  a  piece  of  cod 
about  three  inches  thick,  and  a  leg  of  mutton  (the  cod 
weighed  three  pounds,  the  mutton  six  and  a  half,  which 
she  directed  the  butcher  to  cut  in  half),  and  half  a  dozen 
bananas. 

As  soon  as  she  reached  home  she  made  a  boiled  cus- 
tard with  two  eggs  and  a  pint  of  milk,  in  the  following 
way :  The  eggs  were  whipped  while  the  milk  came  near 
to  the  boiling-point.  When  that  was  reached,  two  heaped 
table-spoonfuls  of  sugar  were  added  to  the  milk,  and 
when  dissolved  it  was  poured  to  the  eggs,  stirring  all  the 
time.  Both  were  then  returned  to  the  saucepan  —  which 
was  set  over  the  fire  in  a  vessel  or  saucepan  containing 
boiling  water  —  and  stirred.  When  the  water  in  the  under 
saucepan  boiled  round  it,  the  custard  was  removed  a  few 
seconds,  the  stirring  continuing  all  the  time,  and  then  it 
was  returned.  This  was  repeated  till  it  was  like  thick 
cream.  The  object  of  removing  it  was  this :  The  eggs 
must  not  boil  or  they  will  curdle  ;  they  must  be  cooked 
or  they  will  not  thicken  ;  if  left  in  the  boiling  water 
they  would  boil ;  by  removing  every  minute  for  a  few 
seconds,  you  keep  the  custard  at  the  boiling-point  till  it 
thickens,  without  running  risk  of  its  curdling.  Fre- 
quently, in  the  fear  of  custard's  curdling,  it  is  taken  off 
the  fire  just  at  the  boiling-point,  and  it  remains  thin, 
unless  corn-starch  has  been  first  boiled  with  the  milk ; 
in  the  proportion  of  two  eggs  to  the  pint,  corn-starch  is 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  177 

not  needed  for  moderately  thick  custards.  When  it  was 
done  it  was  set  to  get  cold,  and  two  bananas  were  cut 
into  small  pieces.  While  the  cooking  was  going  on, 
Molly  got  out  the  Madeleine  cake,  cut  side  slices  from  it 
the  third  of  an  inch  thick,  cut  the  dark  crust  off  as  thin 
as  possible,  and  spread  three  of  the  slices  with  the  lemon 
paste  she  had  made  yesterday.  The  other  three  she 
laid  on  these,  sandwich-fashion. 

"  Now,  Marta,  I  '11  show  you  what  I  am  going  to  do 
with  my  fondant  icing."  As  she  spoke  she  put  a  table- 
spoonful  of  it  in  a  cup  which  she  set  in  boiling  water 
over  the  fire.  "  You  see  I  stir  this,  because,  if  I  simply 
left  it  to  melt,  it  would  go  back  to  clear  syrup ;  by  stir- 
ring, it  keeps  opaque  like  cream.  I  do  not  let  this  get 
too  hot,  only  just  warm  enough  to  run  easily."  When 
it  had  reached  the  point  of  being  like  double  cream  or 
molasses,  she  put  the  saucepan  and  cup  on  the  table  and 
added  to  it  a  few  drops  of  vanilla  and  stirred  it ;  then 
with  a  tea-spoon  she  iced  each  slice,  pouring  the  fondant 
on  and  spreading  it,  allowing  it  to  run  over  the  sides. 

"  You  see  this  icing  cools  as  you  do  it,  and  it  may 
happen  in  cold  weather  that  it  will  cool  before  you  fin- 
ish (and  if  the  candy  has  been  boiled  rather  high,  the 
same  thing  may  happen  any  time);  then  you  must  dip 
a  knife  in  boiling  water,  shake  off  the  drops  quickly  and 
smooth  with  that;  then  you  use  the  knife.  Now  if  I  had 
cochineal  in  the  house  I  should  have  melted  only  half 
the  quantity  in  this  cup  and  half  in  another,  and  flavored 
one  with  rose,  and  added  a  very  little  coloring,  —  three 
or  four  drops,  —  and  used  it  for  half  of  these  cakes  ;  but 
as  it  is,  I  leave  them  all  white." 

Molly  worked  as  she  spoke ;  the  three  slices  were 
iced,  then  she  held  a  sharp  knife  on  the  range  till  it  was 
quite  warm,  wiped  it,  and  cut  the  cake  into  neat  tablets 
an  inch  wide  and  the  width  of  the  cake,  —  about  two 
inches.  Each  slice  made  four,  so  she  had  a  dozen  small 
fancy  cakes. 

"  You  can  see,  Marta,  how  easy  it  is,  if  your  icing  i3 

always  ready  and  you  have  preserves,  to  have  a  plate  of 
12 


178  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

very  pretty  cakes  in  a  few  minutes.  You  may  make  a 
dozen  and  a  half,  or  more ;  then  half  a  dozen  may  be 
white  with  lemon  between  ;  half  a  dozen  with  red  cur- 
rant jelly,  and  icing  colored  with  a  small  piece  of  un- 
sweetened chocolate  melted  in  a  saucer  on  the  stove  and 
then  stirred  to  the  icing ;  and  the  others  with  peach,  and 
pink  icing  flavored  very  slightly  with  bitter  almond  ;  and 
for  very  ornamental  purposes,  a  dozen  almonds,  blanched 
and  chopped  to  size  of  rice  and  sprinkled  over  the  pink 
and  white  while  the  icing  is  still  warm,  make  a  very 
pretty  change ;  in  fact,  very  many  varieties  can  be  made 
once  you  have  got  the  idea,  and  remember  never  to 
mix  flavors  badly.  Vanilla  and  chocolate  always  agree ; 
80  you  can  use  the  same  icing  for  the  white  and  choco- 
late by  doing  the  white  cakes  first,  then  putting  the 
melted  chocolate  —  and  just  a  drop  or  two  of  water 
from  the  end  of  your  finger  or  a  spoon —  to  it.  Choco- 
late stiffens  so  much  tlmt  you  are  more  likely  than  not 
to  require  a  knife  dipped  in  boiling  water  to  spread  it. 
"When  all  are  done  you  may  mix  your  pink  and  choco- 
late candy  together,  if  the  flavors  agree  (vanilla  and 
chocolate  and  rose  go  exceedingly  well,  but  almond  or 
lemon  not),  work  it  together  with  hacd  or  spoon,  and 
the  result  will  be  a  lovely  ashes-of-roses  color.  You 
may  put  it  away  so  flavored  and  colored  for  future  use, 
or  you  may  use  it  at  once  for  other  cake,  which  is  better, 
as  color  fades  if  kept  too  long ;  but  remember  one  thing : 
this  icing,  having  been  made  hot,  will  be  stiffer  than  when 
you  began,  and  to  be  melted  over  again  will  need  per- 
haps a  dozen  drops  of  water  mixed  with  it ;  if  it  has 
become  sugary  and  rough,  you  can't  use  it ;  but  if  on  tak- 
ing a  pinch  between  your  finger  and  thumb  it  will  spread 
smoothly  like  putty  or  dough,  it  is  as  good  as  ever,  which 
it  is  almost  certain  to  be  if  you  have  worked  quickly. 

"  The  only  art  in  this  French  icing  is  to  have  every- 
thing ready  before  you  begin  coloring  and  flavoring,  to 
have  almonds,  if  you  use  them,  blanched  and  chopped, 
—  in  short,  have  to  leave  off"  for  nothing ;  then  you  can 
work  quickly^  and  the  icing  is  not  allowed  to  cool,  and 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  179 

will  not  need  reheating  once  or  twice  before  you  have 
finished.  At  first  such  quickness  may  not  be  easy,  and 
if  the  icing  chills,  you  will  find  it  unmanageable  ;  all 
you  have  to  do  is  to  return  it  in  the  water  to  the  fire, 
and  melt  as  at  first ;  it  will  usually  stand  melting  two  or 
three  times  before  getting  grainy.  Stir,  while  melting, 
only  enough  to  mix  the  melted  and  unmelted  together. 
Of  course  it  is  always  easier  to  melt  a  quantity  of  icing 
in  a  bowl,  and  do  a  nujnber  of  cakes,  than  a  table-spoon- 
ful as  I  have  done,  because  it  holds  the  heat  better,  and 
you  have  abundance  to  work  from ;  but  I  don't  want  to 
destroy  the  delicacy  of  what  I  put  away  by  melting  all 
up.     You  see  I  have  a  little  ball  left." 

She  had  gathered  the  icing  from  the  cups  and  spoon 
and  worked  it  between  her  hands  into  a  little  shining 
ball,  simply  to  show  Marta  what  could  be  done  if  more 
had  been  left.  "  This  is  not  worth  putting  away,  but 
several  little  marbles  like  these  if  dipped  into  melted 
chocolate  would  make  chocolate  creams.  You  see  how 
one  thing  leads  to  another  in  cooking." 

The  custard  was  now  cold,  the  bananas  were  stirred 
into  it  and  they  were  put  into  the  freezer,  and  ice  and 
salt  in  the  proportion  of  one  third  salt  were  packed 
round  it.  After  it  had  stood  a  few  minutes,  Marta 
turned  it  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  it  was  frozen. 

Just  as  Molly  was  about  to  begin  to  write  directions 
for  the  scalloped  potatoes,  concluding  she  herself  would 
need  to  make  only  the  Hollandaise  sauce,  and  could 
leave  the  dinner  to  Marta,  a  hack  drove  up  to  the  door, 
and  Molly  saw  Harry's  mother  and  father  in  it. 

To  say  she  did  not  tremble  would  not  be  correct ;  for 
an  instant  her  heart  sank;  if  she  had  only  known 
they  were  coming  !  She  wondered  if  everything  was  as 
nice  as  she  would  wish  it  in  the  little  sitting-room.  She 
generally  had  it,  not  trim,  or  oppressively  tidy,  but  with 
only  the  pleasant  disorder  of  a  room  that  is  lived  in ; 
but  Marta  had  a  way  sometimes  of  leaving  her  brush  or 
dustpan  —  sometimes  a  kitchen  cloth  —  where  it  ought 
not  to  be.     Molly  looked  at  herself,  but  she  was  neat, 


180  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

aud  no  one  had  a  right  to  expect  a  housewife  at  eleven 
in  the  morning  to  be  ready  for  company.  While  Marta 
went  to  the  door  she  removed  her  apron  and  washed 
her  hands,  and  when  she  reentered  the  kitchen  just 
waited  to  say  :  — 

"  Marta,  make  some  of  your  nice  noodles  at  once ; 
leave  your  up- stairs  sweeping  till  later,  and  I  '11  let  you 
know  what  to  get  for  lunch."  She  passed  into  the  par- 
lor, having  in  the  short  interval  recovered  her  composure, 
and  welcomed  her  unexpected  visitors  as  if  their  coming 
were  a  pleasant  surprise,  and  not  an  embarrassment. 

"  Will  3'ou  come  up-stairs  and  take  off  your  things?  " 
asked  Molly,  thankful  that  in  consequence  of  her  want- 
ing to  show  Marta  how  to  make  custard  and  use  French 
icing,  the  sweeping  was  not  begun  and  the  whole  place 
topsy-turvy  and  draped  in  sweeping-sheets. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  about  staying ;  we  just  thought 
we  would  run  out  and  see  what  sort  of  a  place  you  had 
here,  and  take  the  next  train  back." 

"  Oh,  you  would  not  do  that  ?  "  cried  Molly,  all  her 
hospitable  instincts  revolting.  *'  What  would  Harry 
say  ?  You  must  stay  till  he  comes  home,  and  he  can 
perhaps  induce  you  to  stay  all  night." 

"  Oh  dear,  no  —  no,  thank  you  ;  Mr.  Bishop  rarely 
stays  anywhere  from  home  at  night." 

"  No,  no,  my  dear,"  echoed  her  father-in-law,  "  I  am 
as  old-fogyish  as  a  bachelor,  and  I  like  to  be  at  home." 

"  Well,  at  least  you  must  stay  the  day." 

"  Well,  if  we  shall  not  put  you  out,  we  will  remain 
an  hour  or  two." 

"  Come  up-stairs,  then ;  you  will  rest  better  when 
your  cloak  is  off." 

Molly  had  never  felt  as  if  her  house  was  a  bandbox 
till  now.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop  seemed  literally  to  fill 
the  parlor,  yet  they  were  not  very  large.  Harry  was 
much  taller  than  his  father,  but  they  both  had  a  pon- 
derous way  with  them.  Mrs.  Bishop's  voice,  too,  was  a 
deep  contralto,  which  she  used  in  a  manner  which,  had 
it  been  affected,  would  have  been  haughty,  but,  natural 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  181 

as  it  had  become,  yet  seemed  to  impress  people  against 
their  will  with  a  sense  of  her  importance. 

"  And  so  this  is  your  little  cottage  ?  Do  you  find 
room  in  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Molly,  smiling,  "  plenty  ;"  but  as  she 
followed  her  mother-in-law  up  the  narrow  stairs,  which 
had  never  seemed  so  narrow  till  she  saw  the  rich  dress 
and  velvet-clad  shoulders  fill  the  whole  space,  she  could 
see  how  very  tiny  it  might  seem  to  one  accustomed  to 
large  rooms  and  broad  spaces. 

Mrs.  Bishop  glanced  around  the  pretty  bed-room. 

"  And  Harry  and  you  really  are  contented  here  ?  " 
she  asked. 

"  Indeed,  we  are  more  than  contented ;  I  'm  as  happy 
as  the  day  is  long." 

"  Well,  it 's  very  strange  for  Harry ;  he  was  always 
the  most  fastidious  boy ;  but  happiness  is  everything,  I 
suppose." 

"  We  think  so." 

Molly  helped  Mrs.  Bishop  off  with  her  cloak,  which 
was  so  handsome  as  to  look  strangely  out  of  place  in 
that  simple  cottage  room,  and  then  said,  "If  you  will  ex- 
cuse me,  I  will  send  you  up  some  hot  water  and  give 
orders  for  luncheon." 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you  ;  don't  let  me  keep  you  ;  and 
please  don't  make  any  preparation." 

"  No,  I  will  not ;  I  must  only  see  that  sufficient  for 
three  persons  instead  of  one  is  on  the  table." 

She  ran  down-stairs,  took  Marta's  rolling-pin  out  of 
her  hand,  told  her  to  take  a  pitcher  of  water  up-stairs, 
and  rolled  the  noodle-paste  till  she  returned. 

"  Marta,  directly  your  noodles  are  made,  go  to  Mrs. 
Framley's  and  ask  her  to  please  telephone  to  the  fish- 
monger for  a  quarter  of  a  hundred  oysters  in  the  deep 
shell,  to  be  sent  here  for  one  o'clock.  Be  as  quick  as 
you  can,  and  when  you  come  back  you  will  find  on  the 
dining-room  table  full  written  instructions  for  what  you 
are  to  do." 

Molly  went  to  the  parlor  and  found  Mr.  Bishop  read- 
ing his  paper. 


182  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  Go  on  reading  for  a  minute,  please  ;  I  will  write  a 
line.  I  know  if  you  have  not  got  through  the  morning 
news  you  will  be  glad  to  do  it." 

''  I  just  glanced  at  the  money  market  at  breakfast, 
and  I  've  too  much  respect  for  my  eyes  to  read  in  the 
cars." 

Molly  went  to  the  davenport  and  wrote  Marta's  in- 
structions. Her  first  impulse  had  been  to  use  her  ma- 
terials for  dinner,  to  have  the  frozen  bananas  for  dessert ; 
but  on  second  thought  she  resolved  to  give  just  what  she 
meant  to  have  for  her  own  lunch,  with  oysters  to  make 
enough  ;  the  bread  was  fresh  and  very  good ;  therefore 
she  wrote  the  following  :  — 

"  Make  the  cold  beau  soup  boiling  hot,  boil  one  Qgg 
hard  and  cut  it  in  quarters  lengthwise,  then  across  ;  lay 
it  in  the  soup-tureen  and  pour  the  soup  on  it.  Cut  four 
thin  slices  of  lemon  and  drop  them  in  as  it  comes  to 
table.  When  the  oysters  come,  set  them,  in  their  shells, 
in  a  dripping-pan ;  put  on  each  a  bit  of  butter,  size  of  a 
hazel-nut ;  pepper  them  and  set  them  over  the  fire  till 
the  liquor  in  the  shells  bubbles ;  watch  till  the  butter 
melts,  then  they  are  done  ;  take  them  off  the  fire  imme- 
diately. Use  a  cloth  to  put  them  on  a  hot  dish  ;  take 
care  you  do  not  spill  the  gravy.     Serve  with  hot  plates. 

"  Cut  the  cold  pudding  in  finger-lengths,  make  a  batter 
of  two  table-spoonfuls  of  flour,  a  pinch  of  salt,  and  milk 
to  make  it  as  thick  as  thick  cream ;  dip  each  piece  into 
the  batter,  and  fry  in  deep  fat  till  brown ;  sift  sugar 
over  it,  and  serve  with  hard  sauce." 

As  Molly  wrote  the  last  words  she  heard  Mrs.  Bishop 
coming  down-stairs,  and  wondered  much  what  she  could 
do  to  entertain  her.  She  had  actually  never  been  with 
her  without  Harry  before,  but  the  matter  solved  itself, 
for  the  elder  lady  questioned  her  as  to  her  mode  of  life, 
what  she  did  with  her  time,  how  Harry  and  she  spent 
the  evenings,  and  when  told  as  simply  as  Molly  knew 
how,  she  laughed,  with  a  sort  of  good-natured  sarcasm. 

"  Quite  idyllic,  I  declare ;  so  Harry  reads  aloud  while 
you  sew,  — or  else  you  both  play  chess." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  183 

*'  Yes ;  of  course  we  are  almost  strangers  in  Green- 
field. When  we  are  better  known  no  doubt  we  may  go 
out  more,  but  all  our  neighbors  are  very  pleasant." 

"  Now  that  is  one  thing  I  wanted  to  caution  you 
about ;  one  of  the  penalties  of  living  in  a  place  like  this 
is  that  you  must  know  every  one,  and  are  apt  to  make 
intimates  that  you  can  not  shake  off  easily  when  you  go 
away." 

"  But,"  said  Molly,  with  some  dignity,  "  I  shall  make 
no  intimacies  I  should  ever  want  to  shake  off;  people 
good  enough  to  be  my  friends  now  will  be  good  enough 
at  all  times." 

"  My  dear,  I  think  when  I  was  your  age  T  had  just 
such  ideas,  but  I  found  as  I  grew  older  I  had  to  do  as 
others  do." 

The  time  did  not  pass  very  gayly,  and  Molly  won- 
dered how  she  would  get  through  the  afternoon  if  they 
should  stay,  for  she  believed  that  she  and  her  mother-in- 
law  had  nothing  in  common. 

When  the  time  came,  Molly  excused  herself  and 
went  in  to  help  Marta  lay  the  cloth.  The  silver  and 
glass  were  always  bright,  so  there  was  no  hasty  rubbing 
and  polishing  at  the  last  minute.  That  morning  Harry 
had  brought  in  from  the  tiny  flower-bed  a  handful  of 
geranium  and  coleus,  saying :  "  We  have  to  take  them 
as  they  are  ready;   frost  may  come  at  any  time  now." 

And  they  were  now  ready  for  the  centre,  arranged  in 
a  deep  glass  dish,  the  rich  coleus  round  the  edge,  the 
geraniums  in  the  middle.  They  gave  the  little  table  an 
air  of  brightness  that  nothing  but  flowers  could  have 
done. 

Molly  did  not  want  to  be  many  minutes  from  the 
parlor,  as  she  knew  Mrs.  Bishop  would  think  great  prep- 
arations were  being  made,  and  she  would  rather  have 
given  them  bread  and  cheese  than  that,  but  she  thought 
she  would  trust  Marta  to  follow  her  written  directions, 
as  the  only  things,  except  the  oysters,  to  cook  were  those 
she  was  very  familiar  with.  The  result  justified  her. 
It  is  true  the  soup  had  the  eggs  cut  in  slices  instead  of 
as  directed,  but  that  mattered  little. 


•5* 


184  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH, 

When  they  were  seated  and  Mr.  Bishop,  who  was  a 
gourmet  if  not  a  gourmand^  exclaimed  :  "  Capital  soup  ! 
capital!  why  don't  we  have  it  at  home?"  —  Molly  felt 
a  good  deal  relieved  and  a  little  triumphant,  for  Mrs. 
Bishop  was  very  proud  of  her  cook. 

"  Why,  my  dear  George  !  I  did  not  know  you  cared 
for  bean  soup  !  " 

"  I  don't,  unless  it's  first  rate." 

When  soup  was  removed  and  Marta  entered  with  the 
large  dish  of  oysters,  Molly  gave  one  hasty  glance, — 
would  they  be  shriveled  into  leather,  or  flabby  and  half 
cooked  ?  But  the  error  had  been  on  the  best  side ;  more 
than  half  were  perfectly  cooked,  the  others  barely  hot 
through.  Poor  Marta  had  followed  instructions,  but 
had  not  thought  to  turn  the  pan.  However,  Molly  was 
only  too  thankful  to  have  so  little  wrong,  and  helped  the 
best  to  her  visitors.  They  were  still  almost  boiling  in 
the  shell  ;  and  after  this  came  a  pretty  dish  of  noodles 
that  Marta  had  arranged  round  a  mound  of  grated 
cheese. 

After  the  luncheon  Mrs.  Bishop  said  with  a  tone  of  ap- 
proval which  Molly  was  determined  not  to  think  patron- 
izing, "  I  declare,  Molly,  you  keep  house  very  nicely." 

"  You  must  have  a  remarkable  good  cook,  by  Jove! " 
broke  in  Mr.  Bishop. 

"  I  am  glad  you  think  so,"  said  Molly,  smiling. 

"  Where  did  you  get  her?  " 

"  Castle  Garden." 

Mrs.  Bishop  almost  screamed  when  she  heard  it,  and 
then  Molly  found  the  right  conversational  key  was 
struck,  for  her  mother-in-law  had  a  great  deal  to  say 
about  her  own  troubles  with  servants,  and  the  troubles 
of  her  friends  ;  and  when  the  *'  hour  of  digestion  "  had 
passed,  she  asked  if  they  would  like  to  go  out  and  see 
some  of  the  beauties  of  Greenfield. 

"  Well,  that  depends  on  what  train  we  take." 

"I  hoped  you  would  stay  and  see  Harry." 

Mrs.  Bishop  looked  inquiringly  at  her  husband,  who 
said: 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  185 

"  Oh,  we  must  stay  and  see  Harry,  I  suppose." 

Molly  smiled  inwardly,  as  she  thought  that  his  lun- 
cheon had  reassured  him  as  to  his  dinner.  They  all 
went  out  for  an  hour;  there  was  not  much  to  see  but 
some  pretty,  well-kept  Queen  Anne  houses,  and  Mrs. 
Bishop  let  drop  the  remark  that  she  had  little  expected 
ever  to  see  a  son  of  hers  living  in  tlie  second-rate  neigh- 
borhood of  a  country  town,  which  remark  Molly  pru- 
dently ijrnored. 

When  they  returned  to  the  house,  Mrs.  Bishop,  at 
Molly's  suggestion,  went  to  lie  down,  and  her  husband 
stretched  himself  on  the  sofa,  and  Molly  slipped  from 
the  room,  for  she  could  see  he  too  was  drowsy.  She 
went  to  the  kitchen,  told  Marta  how  well  she  thought 
she  had  managed  the  lunch,  and  then  gave  directions  for 
the  dinner  in  writing,  for  she  wanted  to  attend  to  her 
guests  as  much  as  possible.  What  she  wrote  was  as 
follows : 

"  At  five  o'clock,  put  the  mutton  in  the  oven  as  usual, 
and  the  fish  into  salt  and  water.  At  a  quarter  past,  put 
white  onions  on  to  boil  in  boiling  water ;  and  potatoes. 
When  the  potatoes  are  just  done,  cut  them  in  slices 
thick  as  a  dollar.  Have  ready  a  pint  of  white  sauce, 
remembering  to  use  two  table-spoonfuls  of  flour  and  two 
of  butter  to  the  pint  of  milk.  Chop  a  dessert-spoonful 
of  parsley  very  fine,  lay  the  potatoes  in  a  dish,  sprinkle 
a  little  parsley,  pepper  and  salt  among  them,  pour  white 
sauce  over  them  enough  to  moisten  without  making 
them  sloppy,  and  strew  grated  bread  crumbs  over  all ;  put 
them  in  the  oven  to  brown.  Keep  the  rest  of  the  white 
sauce  for  the  onions,  which  must  be  boiled  very  tender, 
poured  dry  immediately  after  they  are  done,  and  then  put 
into  the  white  sauce,  and  allowed  to  stew  a  few  minutes. 

"  As  soon  as  you  have  the  potatoes  ready  for  the  oven, 
put  the  fish,  which  you  have  nicely  wiped,  on  a  plate, 
lay  that  on  a  napkin  and  set  both  in  a  saucepan  of  boil- 
ing water,  with  two  tea-spoonfuls  of  salt  and  two  of  vin- 
egar.    It  will  take  twenty  minutes  to  boil." 

Molly  had  told    Marta   to  take  the  peg  out  of  the 


186  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

freezer  and  let  off  the  water,  at  luncheon.  She  now 
went  to  see  if  the  frozen  banana  custard  was  in  good 
condition,  and  found  it  all  right ;  then  she  took  out  the 
paddle,  worked  the  custard  down  from  the  sides,  and 
covered  it,  packing  in  more  salt  and  ice. 

"  How  glad  I  am  we  happened  to  have  cold  dessert," 
she  thought ;  "  it  will  save  Marta  so  much  at  the  last 
moment." 

She  read  over  the  written  instructions,  although  there 
was  nothing  new  but  the  manner  of  cooking  the  pota- 
toes, assured  herself  Marta  understood  everything,  and 
told  her  she  would  come  out  herself  and  make  the  fish 
sauce. 

It  was  after  four  o'clock,  and  she  laid  the  table  just  as 
she  wanted  it,  went  up-stairs  and  put  on  one  of  her  pret- 
tiest dresses,  and  then  returned  to  the  parlor.  Mrs. 
Bishop  was  just  rousing  as  she  passed  her  door,  but  did 
not  descend  for  some  few  minutes,  which  Molly  took  to 
glance  over  the  paper. 

All  the  time  she  was  talking  with  his  mother  and 
father,  Molly  pictured  Harry's  surprise  at  finding  them, 
and  knew  it  would  also  be  a  pleasure.  She  did  not 
know  what  to  augur  from  this  visit,  whether  it  was  sim- 
ply curiosity,  or  meant  any  return  of  the  old  parental 
tenderness  for  him;  Harry  would  know,  for  he  knew 
their  ways  better  than  she  did. 

At  last  she  heard  his  steps  on  the  plank  walk ;  she 
flew  to  the  door. 

"  What 's  up,  little  woman  ?  you  look  like  an  excla- 
mation point  in  person." 

The  next  moment  he  caught  sight  of  his  visitors. 

"  Mother  !  father  !   why,  this  is  a  good  surprise." 

Molly  slipped  out  of  the  room  while  Harry  was  bear- 
ing all  about  their  arrival,  whipped  on  her  apron  and 
made  the  Hollandaise  sauce.  She  put  into  a  little  iron 
saucepan  a  large  table-spoonful  of  butter,  a  dessert-spoon- 
ful of  flour,  and  let  them  cook  one  minute ;  then  she 
poured  to  them  two  thirds  of  half  a  pint  of  boiling  water, 
stirred  till  smooth,  then  added,  gradually,  the  yolks  of 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH,  187 

three  beaten  eggs  ;  when  she  put  the  eggs  in  she  stood 
the  saucepan  in  another  of  boiling  water,  and  stirred  it 
well ;  after  the  eggs  had  thickened  she  put  two  tea-spoon- 
fuls of  lemon  juice,  salt,  and  as  much  cayenne  as  would 
go  on  the  end  of  a  penknife,  and  it  was  done.  Marta 
had  taken  up  the  fish,  and  Molly  directed  the  sauce  to 
be  poured  entirely  over  it,  herself  seeing  that  there  was 
not  a  drop  of  water  from  the  fish  in  the  dish.  A  sprig 
or  two  of  parsley  was  laid  at  each  end  of  the  dish,  and 
lemon  in  slices  round  it;  then  casting  her  eye  round  to 
see  that  Marta  had  everything  ready  but  the  meat,  she 
told  her  to  bring  the  fish  in  when  she  should  hear  Mr. 
Bishop  come  down. 

The  dinner  was  very  nice,  although,  as  Molly  was 
glad  to  think,  simpler  than  they  often  had  when  alone, 
and  it  was  eaten  without  comment  until  the  ice  came  on, 
when  Mrs.  Bishop  expressed  surprise  at  their  getting 
such  things  in  the  country. 

"  Oh,  we  can,  I  believe,  get  excellent  ice-creams  here, 
but  this  is  home-made." 

"  Indeed ! " 

After  dinner  Mr.  Bishop  declared  they  must  catch  the 
eight  o'clock  train.  Harry  urged  them  in  vain  to  stay, 
and  then  it  was  decided  that  Molly  and  Harry  would  go 
to  the  depot  with  them. 

As  they  parted  Mrs.  Bishop  said  :  "  Harry,  you  and 
Molly  must  come  home  to  spend  Christmas,  and  had 
better  spend  a  week  with  us." 

Harry  promised  to  do  so  if  they  could. 

"  Why,  of  course  you  can  ;  —  why  not  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  laughed  Harry,  "  we  are  family  people  now, 
with  the  responsibility  of  a  house  on  our  shoulders." 

"  A  house  !  a  match-box,  you  mean." 

With  this  shot  they  parted.  Harry's  real  hesitation 
was  doubt  as  to  what  Molly  might  feel  inclined  to  do  ; 
there  was  no  denying  she  had  been  badly  treated, 
snubbed  and  looked  down  upon. 

"  Well,  if  this  is  n  't  the  strangest  turn  ;  I  don't  think 
I  ever  knew  my  father  to  leave  business  for  a  day  be- 
fore." 


188  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  What  does  it  mean,  Harry  ? "  Molly  asked  aux- 
iously,  for  it  had  been  a  grief  to  her  to  feel  she  was  the 
cause  of  estrangement. 

"  It  must  mean  that  my  father,  or  mother,  or  both, 
are  beginning  to  see  they  've  been  in  fault." 

"  Oh  Harry,  I  should  be  so  glad  if  you  were  once 
more  all  you  used  to  be —  to  them." 

"  I  shall  never  be  that,  for  I  shall  never  go  back  to 
the  sort  of  semi-dependence  I  was  in,  —  but  shall  we 
go  at  Christmas?" 

"  Oh,  certainly." 

"  I  'm  afraid  you  may  not  have  a  very  good  time." 

''  Oh,  yes,  I  shall." 

*'  Then  we  accept.  I  tell  you  what,  little  Molly,  if 
my  father  and  mother  had  not  been  favorably  im- 
pressed, —  had  they  found  us  living  as  they  expected, 
they  would  not  have  said  a  word  about  our  going 
there." 

"  Oh  Harry,  I  hope  so ;  surely,  the  less  comfortable 
you  were  the  more  you  would  need  them." 

"  No,  they  look  on  it  this  way  :  as  I  made  my  bed  so 
I  must  lie  on  it.  Had  the  bed  been  a  bad  one,  they 
would  have  said, 'serve  him  right;'  as  it  seems  much 
better  than  they  thought  it  would  be,  they  are  inclined 
to  think  themselves  wrong." 

Harry  loved  his  parents,  but  he  knew  their  pride,  and 
that  they  would  not  have  openly  forgiven  the  blow  to  it; 
but  he  knew,  small  as  the  house  was,  Moily  had  shown 
them  as  refined  a  home  as  their  own,  and  they  saw  that, 
after  all,  their  daughter-in-law  would  grace  any  station 
Harry  might  ever  attain  to. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

HOMINY     MUFFINS FISH     BALLS ROYAL      CUSTARD 

—  "  CONSOMM^    X    LA    ROYALE  " FRICASSEE 

SWEETBREADS VANILLA    S0UFFL1&. 

The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  Molly  came 
down-stairs.  She  was  going  to  help  get  breakfast,  as 
she  always  did  whenever  she  had  any  dish  new  to 
Marta.  Two  or  three  times  a  week  the  breakfast  came 
out  of  the  dinner  of  the  day  before,  and  the  stock  she 
generally  had  on  hand  made  such  warmed-over  dishes 
very  different  from  the  flavorless  ones  they  too  often 
are.  For  this  reason  alone  she  would  have  considered 
it  cheap  to  buy  a  small  soup-bone  once  a  week,  even  if 
she  had  needed  no  soup,  but  every  little  drop  —  even  half 
a  gill  —  of  soup  that  might  be  left  was  saved,  and  here 
Marta's  German  training  came  in.  Whatever  she  lacked 
in  other  ways,  she  had  none  of  the  disdain  of  economy, 
confounding  it  with  stinginess,  so  common  with  un- 
trained servants.  Every  bit  of  fat  was  put  aside  to  try 
out  once  a  week,  every  tea-spoonful  of  gravy  or  soup 
saved,  and  all  bones  put  in  one  crock  to  be  twice  a  week 
boiled  down. 

When  there  was  not  likely  to  be  much  left  from  din- 
ner, Molly  fell  back  on  kidneys  or  ham  and  eggs  for 
breakfast ;  once  a  week  there  was  always  fish  in  some 
form.  This  morning  there  was  a  little  mutton  on  the 
bone,  just  enough  for  mince  or  fritters;  there  was,  also, 
quite  a  piece  of  fish.  She  had  bought  it  with  that  cal- 
culation, so  the  mutton  was  left  for  another  day.  Harry 
did  not  like  codfish  balls  of  salt  cod,  but  delighted  in 
them  from  fresh,  and,  as  once  boiled,  it  would  keep  a 
week,  she  had  intended  to  have  them  twice.     Her  visi- 


190  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

tors,  however,  had  changed  that  programme,  but  she  had 
more  than  enough  for  breakfast.  As  she  herself  was  in 
the  kitchen,  too,  she  decided  to  make  hominy  muffins, 
there  being  a  cup  of  cold  hominy. 

As  the  frying  fat  would  take  half  an  hour  to  get  hot 
enough,  Marta  hud  been  told  to  put  it  on  the  range  (cov- 
ered to  keep  in  the  fumes)  soon  after  the  fire  should 
be  lighted.  Molly  drew  it  forward  that  it  might  be 
ready  by  the  time  she  herself  was  so.  She  set  Marta  to 
mash  the  hominy  fine  with  a  fork,  then  to  add  to  one 
cup  of  it  a  cup  of  corn  meal,  half  a  cup  of  milk,  and 
two  tea-spoonfuls  of  melted  butter,  two  tea-spoonfuls  of 
sugar,  one  egg,  and  one  tea-spoonful  of  baking-powder, 
and  when  beaten  long  and  hard,  to  put  it  into  gempans 
and  bake  fifteen  minutes. 

While  Marta  was  doing  this,  she  herself  flaked  the 
cold  fish  quite  fine  and  called  Marta's  attention  to  the 
fact  that  she  used  the  remaining  sauce  to  moisten  it. 

"  If  I  had  not  this  sauce,  I  should  make  just  enough 
stiff  white  sauce  to  moisten  the  whole ;  but  this  is  even 
better,  and  as  there  is  egg  in  it  I  need  use  only  one 
more." 

To  a  cup  of  flaked  fish  and  sauce,  of  which  there  were 
two  good  table-spoonfuls,  she  put  one  beaten  egg  ;  this 
made  it  into  a  stiff  batter  or  mush  that  would  not  run, 
but  drop  from  a  spoon.  She  seasoned  it  with  pepper,  a 
very  little  salt,  and  then  dipping  a  table-spoon  in  flour, 
dropped  large  spoonfuls  of  it  in  the  fat,  which  was  hot 
enough  for  croquettes.  In  two  minutes  they  were  round 
and  light  as  puffs,  and  beautifully  brown.  Knowing 
Marta  might  have  to  make  them  some  time  without 
having  any  sauce,  Molly  wrote  the  recipe  and  gave  it  to 
her. 

One  cup  of  flaked  fish,  one  table-spoonful  of  butter, 
one  small  one  of  flour,  and  one  gill  of  milk  ;  melt  butter 
and  flour  together,  let  them  cook  a  few  seconds,  pour  to 
them  a  gill  of  boiling  milk,  stir  well  over  the  fire  till  the 
mixture  leaves  the  sides  of  the  saucepan  ;  then  it  is  done. 
Mix  the  fish  with  it,  add  two  well-beaten  eggs,  and  fry 
in  spoonfuls  in  boiling  lard. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  191 

Harry  called  these  glorified  fish  balls.  "  In  fact, 
Molly,  they  deserve  some  much  more  high-toned 
name." 

"  Yes,  but  people  who  like  the  usual  codfish  balls, 
and  they  are  the  large  majority,  would  not  like  these." 

"  Another  reason  for  not  calling  them  fish  balls,  but  I 
am  one  of  the  minority  who  do  not  like  our  Columbian 
dainty  in  its  orthodox  form ;  but  even  minorities  have 
tastes  and  some  right  to  have  them  considered.  We  '11 
dub  these  'minority  fish  balls«'  if  you  will  have  no  more 
fanciful  name."  (And  "  minority  fish  balls  "  they  have 
become  in  that  family.) 

For  dinner  there  was  to  be  clear  soup  with  royal  cus- 
tard, the  stock  for  which  had  been  made  for  bean  soup, 
and  only  a  pint  used.  Molly  usually  made  two  quarts 
at  a  time  from  a  three-pound  soup-bone,  which  served 
twice  for  soup  and  left  a  pint  for  gravies,  sauce,  etc.  A 
pint  and  a  half  at  each  meal  was  ample,  as  neither 
Harry  or  herself  took  half  a  pint,  and  half  usually 
found  its  way  out  to  Marta,  who  straightway  made  it 
thick  with  bread  and  any  vegetables  there  were ;  she 
did  not  approve  of  straining  it. 

To  make  a  change,  Molly  intended  to  have  in  it  royal 
custard,  which  would  make  it  Consomme  a  la  Royale. 

"  Marta,  we  are  coming  to  the  end  of  our  eggs.  I 
must  have  extra  ones.  Mrs.  Lennox's  man  comes  to- 
day ;  you  run  over  and  ask  her  to  please  send  him  to 
me." 

When  Marta  returned  she  told  her  to  beat  one  ^gg^ 
then  mix  it  with  half  a  gill  of  the  cold  stock,  and,  as 
as  there  was  no  gill  measure  (something  Molly  had  re- 
solved to  get,  but  had  forgotten,  though  she  could  have 
better  done  without  the  half-pint),  and  the  quantity 
must  be  so  exact,  she  measured  half  a  pint  of  water,  and 
divided  it  in  four,  put  the  fourth  part  in  a  glass  and 
marked  it,  then  threw  out  the  water,  and  filled  up  to  the 
mark  with  stock.  It  made  about  four  table-spoonfuls. 
Molly  looked  about  for  something  smaller  than  a  cup, 
and  found  a  little  Liebig's  "  extract  of  meat  "  jar  ;  this 


192  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

she  buttered.  The  beaten  egg  and  half  gill  of  soup, 
with  a  pinch  of  salt,  were  mixed  and  poured  into  it, 
then  a  piece  of  paper  was  tied  over  it,  a  small  saucepan 
of  water  put  over  the  fire,  and  when  it  was  quite  boiling 
the  jar  was  placed  iu  it,  the  water  reaching  to  the  height 
of  the  custard,  but  without  danger  of  boiling  into  it. 
The  saucepan  was  then  drawn  aside  so  that  the  water 
might  only  simmer ;  if  it  should  boil  the  custard  would 
be  spoilt.  It  was  left  for  twelve  minutes,  and  when 
taken  out  was  quite  firm.  When  cold  the  custard  was 
cut  into  diamonds. 

"  When  you  have  the  soup  hot,  to-night,  throw  these 
diamonds  into  it,  Marta." 

"  I  don't  suppose,"  thought  Molly,  *'  any  one  ever 
made  quite  so  small  a  quantity  of  savory  custard  be- 
fore, yet  more  would  be  waste  ;  we  should  not  need 
it." 

At  market  she  found  a  fine  pair  of  sweetbreads,  one 
of  the  dainties  her  butcher  was  not  fashionable  enough 
to  charge  a  fancy  price  for,  and  indeed  she  found 
thirty  cents  a  pair  an  outside  price  in  Greenfield ;  these 
were  twenty-five,  however,  and  had  they  been  as  small 
as  they  sometimes  are,  she  would  not  have  bought  them ; 
but  they  were  large  and  white. 

As  soon  as  they  came  they  were  put  into  salt  and 
water  and  an  hour  later  into  boiling  water,  and  parboiled 
for  fifteen  minutes,  and  cold  water  poured  over  them. 
All  gristle  and  skin  was  now  removed,  and  one  cut  into 
small  pieces. 

An  hour  before  dinner  the  remains  of  the  fricasseed 
fowl  were  brought  out.  Less  than  half  had  been  eaten. 
There  remained  a  wing,  part  of  the  breast,  a  leg,  and  the 
back  and  side  bones.  Molly  cut  the  drumstick  off,  laid 
it  with  the  side  bones  for  a  grill  for  breakfast,  —  it 
would  help  out  the  minced  mutton  ;  the  rest,  which  were 
nice  joints,  she  laid,  covered  with  sauce  as  they  were,  in 
a  plate,  and  told  Marta  to  beat  an  egg,  dip  them  in  it, 
taking  care  every  part  was  covered  ;  then  to  lay  them 
in  abundance  of  cracker  crumbs,  pat  them  gently,  and 
fry  them  just  like  breaded  chops. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  193 

Meantime  she  had  gathered  the  sauce  from  the 
chicken,  which,  by  her  direction,  had  been  poured  over 
it  when  the  dish  was  changed,  and  put  it  into  a  small 
saucepan  with  a  gill  of  stock,  then  the  pieces  of  sweet- 
bread, and  put  the  saucepan  where  it  would  simmer. 
She  then  cut  circles  from  slices  of  stale  bread,  half  an 
inch  thick,  each  circle  cut  in  half  to  form  canapees  ;  she 
dipped  each  in  milk,  and  then  laid  it  in  flour,  covered  it 
well  with  flour,  and  left  it  so. 

'•  Marta,  when  you  fry  the  chicken,  drop  these  pieces 
of  bread  in  the  pot.  Be  sure  to  shake  off  all  superfluous 
flour;  handle  them  gently  for  fear  of  breaking,  and  let 
them  fry  pale  brown.  Be  careful  for  the  first  minute 
after  they  are  in  ;  they  will  sputter,  as  they  are  wet. 
Lay  them  round  the  sweetbreads  when  you  take  them 
up.*" 

Marta  had  already  sliced  some  tomatoes  ;  these  were 
laid  in  a  dish,  and  bread  crumbs,  bits  of  butter,  and 
pepper  and  salt  sprinkled  over  each  layer,  on  the  top 
more  crumbs  and  tiny  bits  of  butter  thickly  strewed ; 
then  the  dish  was  put  to  bake  for  half  an  hour. 

*•  Marta,  a  few  minutes  before  taking  up  the  sweet- 
breads, stir  into  the  gravy  a  small  tea-spoonful  of  white 
thickening.  I  see  it  will  not  be  thick  enough  with  the 
fricassee  sauce.  Now  you  have  potatoes  on,  tomatoes 
in  the  oven,  your  frying-kettle  back  of  the  stove,  soup 
ready  to  heat  up  five  minutes  before  dinner,  chicken 
ready  crumbed,  and  I  will  make  a  vanilla  souflSe." 

Gouffe's  recipe  for  vanilla  souffle  was  as  follows, 
Molly  using  only  a  third  of  the  original,  which  calls  for 
a  quart  of  milk : 

**  One  third  of  a  quart  of  milk  (not  quite  three  gills), 
two  table-spoonfuls  of  flour,  two  of  sugar,  a  tea-spoonful 
of  vanilla  extract,  a  pinch  of  salt.  Mix  the  flour  with 
part  of  milk,  set  the  rest  to  boil ;  when  it  boils,  mix  both 
together  as  you  would  corn  starch;  if  by  chance  it  is  not 
smooth,  strain  it,  return  to  fire,  stirring  well.  Take  it 
ofi^  when  it  boils,  put  to  it  the  yolks  of  two  eggs,  and 
beat  very  well ;  then  add  the  whates,  beaten  till  you  can 
13 


194  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

turn  the  dish  over  without  their  slipping.  The  whites 
must  be  stirred  in  with  greatest  gentleness,  —  any  quick 
stirring  will  cause  them  to  liquefy  and  spoil  your  souffle  ; 
when  the  whites  are  blended,  bake  in  a  buttered  dish 
twenty  minutes." 

Molly  prepared  it  and  told  Marta  to  put  it  in  the  oven 
when  she  put  the  soup  on  to  get  hot,  that  they  might 
have  about  finished  dinner  when  it  was  done  ;  but  it  was 
better  for  them  to  wait  for  the  souffle  than  the  souffle 
for  them,  for  waiting  means  spoiling  it.  Molly  made 
some  hard  sauce,  which  she  flavored  with  wine,  and  then 
left  the  dinner  to  Marta. 

When  Harry  came  home  his  face  showed  he  had 
something  pleasant  to  say. 

"  Well,  dear,"  he  said  as  soon  as  he  was  ready  for 
dinner,  "  you  've  done  it,  and  no  mistake." 

"  Done  what  ? "  She  would  have  been  alarmed  if 
his  face  had  not  looked  so  very  happy. 

"  You  've  captured  my  father." 

"  Oh  Harry,  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

*'  He  came  into  my  office  to-day,  and  told  me  he 
had  enjoyed  himself  out  here  very  much,  and  he  was 
good  enough  to  add  that  his  opinion  of  me  had  not 
changed  in  the  least,  that  I  had  been  as  wrong-headed 
as  possible,  and  that  if  I  had  chanced  to  pick  up  a  pearl 
instead  of  a  pebble,  no  thanks  to  my  own  wisdom.  I 
could  n't  agree,  and  told  him  I  knew  all  along  you  were 
a  jewel,  but  he  had  the  best  of  me,  for  he  said . 

*' '  Rubbish,  sir  !  You  did  n't  know  that  she  could 
boil  an  egg  or  sew  a  button  on  ;  no  boy  in  love  ever 
asks  that !  and  you  might  have  been  a  pretty  miserable 
pair !  ' 

"  And  it 's  quite  true,  Molly.  If  you  could  not  have 
mended  your  own  clothes,  and  I  knew  it,  I  should  have 
married  you  just  the  same  ;  but  I  'm  glad  to  have  a 
fortune  in  my  wife,  and  so  I  told  the  dad." 

"  Well,  is  that  all  he  said  ?  "  asked  Molly,  her  cheeks 
flushed  with  pleasure,  her  eyes  dancing. 

"  Oh,  dear,  no,  he  did  n't  begin  that  way.     He  began 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH  195 

by  asking  me  how  I  expected  to  meet  my  quarter's 
bills.  I  told  him  there  would  be  none.  At  first  he 
could  not  believe  me,  and  I  really  believe  he  had  come 
to  give  me  a  check  to  get  us  out  of  the  need  he  thought 
we  were  likely  to  be  in ;  but  when  I  told  him  all,  and 
showed  him  your  first  month's  accounts  —  stop  a  min- 
ute "  (Molly  made  a  dart  forward  to  her  desk)  —  "I  ab- 
stracted that  first  month's  figuring,  my  dear,  and  have  it 
in  my  pocket,  and  it  will  remain  there;  that  is  my  prop- 
erty, my  trophy.  Well,  when  I  showed  that,  and  told 
him  that  I,  with  my  little  income,  lived  just  as  well  as 
he  did,  he  was  conquered." 

"  How  does  she  do  it? "  he  asked  ;  "  and  then  T  had 
to  tell  him  that  you  put  your  time  and  thought  to  the 
little  money  and  doubled  its  value." 

"Oh,  Harry,  how  could  you  exaggerate  so?"  But 
Molly's  head  was  turned  away  and  her  eyes  running 
over  with  happy  tears.  How  well  was  she  repaid  for 
the  work  she  had  taken  such  pleasure  in !  Every  tone 
of  her  husband's  voice  revealed  his  pride  in  her,  and 
his  appreciation,  veiled  though  it  was  by  his  gay,  ban- 
tering manners,  and  she  was  grateful  for  the  training 
that  had  made  it  all  so  easy  to  her. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A  SURPRISE A   BOILED    DINNER DRESDEN    PATTIES 

OYSTERS    AND    BROWN    BUTTER "OLD    ENG- 
LISH "    FRITTERS. 

When  Molly  returned  from  her  walk  to  the  depot 
with  Harry,  she  found  on  the  back  stoop  a  barrel  and  a 
packing-case  that  had  come  by  express.  The  barrel  she 
quickly  saw  contained  apples;  the  packing-case  was  as 
yet  a  mystery,  but  it  did  not  long  remain  so.  Molly  was 
not  frightened  at  a  hammer,  and  between  her  and  Marta 
the  top  was  soon  wrenched  off;  and  then  she  saw  it  was 
full  of  treasures.  A  dozen  pots  of  raspberry  jam,  the 
same  of  currant  jelly,  English  pickled  walnuts  and 
French  canned  peas  and  mushrooms,  and  boned  chicken 
enough  to  last  her  the  winter,  a  jar  of  Canton  ginger 
and  one  of  French  plums,  met  Molly's  wondering  eyes. 
What  luxuries  for  a  young  housekeeper  !  Of  course 
they  could  come  only  from  Harry's  parents. 

Had  they  sent  her  a  present  for  herself  she  would  have 
resented  it,  considering  how  they  had  looked  down  ou 
her,  but  this  gift  she  could  take  pleasure  in,  for  it  was  as 
much  for  Harry  as  for  her,  and  only  such  things  as 
would  be  very  pleasant  and  useful,  but  were  not  necessa- 
ries. Her  housewifely  mind  was  already  reveling  in  the 
thought  of  a  well  stocked  store-room. 

She  had  found  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Welles,  at  the  post- 
office,  which  she  had  waited  to  read  till  she  could  do  so 
at  home  and  enjoy  it,  for  her  friend  was  a  clever  and 
voluminous  correspondent. 

"  Next  Monday,  dear  Molly,  if  convenient,  I  shall  leave 
New  York  for  Greenfield.  Mr.  Welles  says  you  are 
doing  a  rash  thing  to  invite  me,  that  I  am  primed  and 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  197 

double-loaded  and  warranted  to  go  off  at  any  moment, 
for  he  has  heard  me  the  last  month  saying  of  every  new 
thing  ('thing'  always  being  '  dish  '  with  me),  'Molly 
and  I  will  do  that  together  when  I  get  there.'  If  you 
can,  imagine  how  I  ache  to  get  away  from  this  hotel  and 
into  a  house  of  my  own,  with  a  kitchen  and  a  range. 
Never,  never  again  will  I  consent  to  be  a  homeless  hotel 
waif.  However,  in  two  weeks  our  house  will  be  our 
own  ngain,"  etc.,  etc. 

Molly  smiled  over  her  friend's  letter,  she  knew  her  so 
well.  How  pleasant  it  would  be  to  have  her  in  her  own 
house ! 

Charlotte  Welles  was  an  English  woman  five  years 
older  than  Molly,  who  had  known  her  long  before  her 
marriage  to  the  rich  banker,  Mr.  Welles. 

When  Molly  and  her  mother  were  living  in  London 
in  very  economical  lodgings  at  South  Kensington,  they 
had  become  acquainted  with  Mrs.  Morris  and  her  hand- 
some daughter,  whom  at  first  they  took  to  be  an  art-stu- 
dent at  South  Kensington.  Charlotte  had  laughed  mer- 
rily at  the  mistake. 

"No,  indeed,  I  'm  a  cooking-student." 

Then  she  had  told  Molly  and  her  mother  how  it  was 
that  being  certain  she  would  have  to  earn  her  living, 
and,  though  generally  clever,  having  no  special  talent  for 
anything,  she  had  chosen  her  career.  "As  for  being 
a  governess,  I  have  neither  patience  nor  meekness  nor 
ability  enough,  and  as  cooking  is  just  now  coming  to  be 
a  recognized  profession  for  women  who  are  not  of  the 
working-class,  I  decided  on  that.  I  don't  find  many 
ladies  among  the  thorough-going  students  like  myself,  but 
I  do  see  that  no  profession  offers  greater  rewards  to  a 
lady,  —  perhaps  for  that  very  reason  ;  so  I  am  qualify- 
ing myself  to  be  a  teacher." 

Molly's  mother,  invalid  as  she  was,  had  taught  her 
daughter  more  than  most  girls  know  of  housekeeping, 
and  her  own  taste  leaned  that  way,  but  no  doubt  her 
acquaintance  with  Charlotte  Morris  confirmed  it ;  she 
went  with  her  sometimes    to    the    demonstrations   and 


198  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

worked  with  her  at  home.  When  the  latter  left  the 
school  a  medallist  and  went  to  Liverpool  to  lecture, 
Molly  and  her  mother  had  gone  to  the  south  of  France 
for  the  health  of  the  latter,  and  there  they  heard  of 
Charlotte's  success,  how  her  grace  and  culture  (and  per- 
haps her  beauty)  made  her  much  in  request  at  ladies' 
colleges  and  schools,  and  of  the  public  lectures  she  gave. 
But  her  career  was  cut  short,  before  it  was  well  beiiun, 
by  her  engagement  to  an  American  banker  of  wealth, — 
an  engagement  speedily  followed  by  marriage  ;  and  it 
was  through  Mrs.  Welles  that,  after  her  mother's  death, 
on  returning  to  her  native  country,  Molly  found  the  po- 
sition as  governess  she  had  held  up  to  her  marriage  with 
Harry  Bishop.  Several  months  before  Molly  came  to 
Greenfield  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Welles  had  let  their  house  and 
gone  to  England  for  a  trip,  but  returned  two  months  be- 
fore the  tenant's  term  was  up  and  had  been  living  at 
one  of  the  best  hotels  since. 

True  to  her  old  instincts,  Mrs.  Welles  attended  all  the 
best  cooking-lectures  in  whatever  city  she  might  be,  and 
after  Molly's  marriage  they  had  gone  together  to  cook- 
ing-school and  practiced  at  her  house,  which  had  been 
of  incalculable  service  to  Molly.  Since  her  return  to 
America  they  had  not  met.  It  is  needless  to  say  she 
looked  forward  to  her  visit  with  heartfelt  pleasure,  for 
she  felt  that  to  her  acquaintance  she  owed  very  much. 

And  how  these  good  things  had  come  just  in  time ! 

To-day  they  were  to  have  a  regular  boiled  dinner, 
German  soup  made  from  the  half  leg  of  mutton  boiled, 
and  an  egg  beaten  in  it,  the  same  that  she  had  shown 
Mrs.  Lennox  how  to  make,  and  the  mutton  with  caper 
sauce,  mashed  turnips  and  moulded  potatoes,  macaroni 
cheese,  and  pudding. 

This  dinner  Marta  could  cook  with  written  instruc- 
tions, all  but  the  pudding,  and  Molly,  now  she  had  jam, 
meant  this  to  be  an  old-fashioned  English  jam  roly-poly. 

The  written  instructions  were  as  follows  : 

At  five  o'clock  put  the  half  leg  of  mutton  into  boiling 
water,  only  enough  to  cover  it ;  put  with  it  one  carrot 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  199 

cut,  one  turnip,  one  onion,  and  when  it  has  boiled  very 
slowly  half  an  hour,  put  in  a  very  scant  tea-spoonful  of 
salt.  Put  some  macaroni  to  boil.  Put  the  turnips,  cut 
into  strips,  on  the  fire  in  boiling  water  at  half-past  five, 
also  the  potatoes.  Let  the  turnips  boil  fast,  the  pota- 
toes slowly. 

Make  three  gills  of  white  sauce  instead  of  half  a 
pint,  never  forgetting  when  you  increase  the  milk  also 
to  increase  butter  and  flour  in  same  proportion ;  then 
when  the  macaroni  is  tender  put  a  layer  of  it  in  a  small 
dish,  pour  over  it  a  table-spoonful  of  white  sauce  and 
the  same  of  grated  cheese  with  pepper  and  salt,  then 
another  layer  of  macaroni,  more  white  sauce,  cheese  and 
seasoning,  and  over  all  strew  bread  crumbs  and  bits  of 
butter,  and  bake  till  brown. 

The  turnips  strain  when  tender  and  let  them  stew  five 
minutes  in  some  of  the  white  sauce  made  for  the  maca- 
roni, reserving  the  rest  for  caper  sauce.  To  make  it, 
add  capers  in  proportion  of  oae  good  tea-spoonful  of  ca- 
pers to  the  half  pint,  and  just  as  it  goes  to  table  stir  in 
a  tea-spoonful  of  caper  vinegar  ;  if  it  stands  after  this  it 
will  be  apt  to  curdle. 

Take  up  the  mutton,  put  it  to  keep  hot,  skim  and 
strain  the  broth  and  let  it  boil  down  fast  till  there  is 
enough  for  dinner  and  no  more  ;  beat  an  egg^  mix  a 
very  little  of  the  broth  with  it,  and  put  both  into  the 
tureen,  with  a  tea-spoonful  of  parsley  chopped  fine. 
Let  the  broth  remain  off  the  fire  one  minute,  then  pour 
it  to  the  egg,  stirring  quickly,  then  serve  it. 

Molly  had  a  busy  morning  arranging  her  store-room, 
and  making  a  list  of  what  it  contained.  This  list  she 
nailed  behind  the  door,  with  a  pencil  attached,  so  that 
when  anything  was  used  a  mark  was  made  against  it. 
In  this  way,  when  any  article  was  nearly  out  she  would 
be  reminded  to  replace  it.  It  was  not  so  necessary,  per- 
haps, with  a  girl  as  careful  as  Marta,  or  in  her  small 
family  as  in  a  larger  one,  but  it  had  been  her  mother's 
way,  and  she  followed  it.  She  could  then  keep  track  of 
everything  at  a  glance. 


200  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

One  hour  and  a  half  before  dinner  Molly  put  on  a 
saucepan  of  water  to  boil,  and  then  chopped  six  ounces 
of  beef -kidney  suet  very  fine,  which  she  mixed  with 
half  a  pound  of  flour  and  a  pinch  of  salt.  She  made  a 
hole  in  the  centre  of  the  mixture,  and  poured  in  enough 
cold  water  to  make  a  stiff  firm  paste  (not  so  stiff  as  to 
be  hard  to  roll  out)  ;  it  was  handled  as  little  as  possible, 
only  worked  enough  to  keep  it  together.  It  was  rolled 
out  once  to  a  sheet  half  an  inch  thick,  then  spread  with 
raspberry  jam,  which  was  not  allowed  to  come  within  an 
inch  of  the  edge  all  round;  the  edge  was  wetted,  the 
paste  rolled  up  and  the  ends  pinched  closely  to  prevent 
the  jam  coming  out,  as  was  also  the  flap  along  the  centre. 
A  pudding-cloth  was  scalded  and  floured,  the  roly-poly 
laid  on  one  side  of  it  and  rolled  up  ;  eaoii  end  was  tied 
close  to  the  paste,  and  the  centre  pinned.  No  string  was 
passed  round  the  centre,  as  Molly  had  sometimes  seen 
done,  for  as  the  pudding  swells  the  string  cuts  into  it. 
When  finished  the  cloth  was  not  very  loose  on  the  pud- 
ding, nor  tight,  but  what  may  be  called  an  easy  fit. 
When  it  would  leave  the  water,  after  an  hour  and 
quarter  constant  boiling,  it  would  be  swelled  and  plump. 

Molly  saw  that  the  water  boiled  fast  when  it  was 
dropped  in,  and  that  there  was  plenty  of  it. 

"  Marta,  take  care  that  the  pudding  never  ceases  to 
boil,  and  once  in  a  while  look  that  it  floats  round,  so 
that  it  may  not  stick  to  the  bottom." 

The  next  day  Molly  had  to  make  Dresden  patties, 
and  some  fritters  the  recipe  for  which  she  had  unearthed 
from  the  old  last-century  book ;  it  was  written  in  the 
quaint  language  and  indefinite  fashion  common  to  cook- 
ing-books of  that  date.  Molly  had  often  thought,  in 
reading  them,  that  housekeepers'  wits  must  have  been 
much  more  brilliant  in  those  days,  or  the  books  could 
have  done  little  good. 

But  she  had  thought  out  the  matter,  and  her  knowl- 
edge of  old  cook-books  told  her  that  a  "  handful "  proba- 
bly meant  a  man's  hand  full,  as  the  book  was  written  by 
a  man  cook  ;  that  when  you  were  told  to  "  beat  and 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  201 

search  your  sugar  "  it  was  because  they  had  not  latter- 
day  improvements  and  probably  no  powdered  sugar  was 
sold.  Reduced  to  present-day  terms  and  small  di- 
mensions, the  recipe  was  as  follows : 

The  yolks  of  two  eggs  and  a  tea-spoonful  of  flour,  and 
a  scant  half  pint  of  milk  or  cream,  a  pinch  of  salt,  a 
quarter  of  a  small  nutmeg  and  a  table-spoonful  of  sugar. 
The  flour  and  yolks  of  eggs  to  be  well  beaten  with  a 
little  of  the  milk,  the  rest  to  be  added  warm,  and  all 
beaten  very  well  together  with  the  sugar  and  salt  and 
nutmeg.  This  will  make  a  custard,  to  be  baked  in  a 
shallow  round  dish  till  firm,  then  put  to  get  cold.  Make 
a  batter  of  a  gill  of  milk  (half  cream,  the  recipe  called 
for),  one  whole  egg  and  enough  flour  to  make  it  thick 
enough  to  quite  mask  the  back  of  a  spoon  without  run- 
ning off, —  two  level  table-spoonfuls  are  about  enough  ; 
beat  one  of  the  whites  of  eggs  left  from  the  custard  till 
it  will  not  slip  from  the  dish  ;  put  to  the  batter,  which 
must  be  quite  smooth,  the  grated  rind  of  half  a  lemon, 
a  pinch  of  salt,  and  then  add  the  beaten  white  of  egg, 
stirring  very  slowly  after  this  is  in.  Cut  the  custard 
into  six  pieces,  pie-fashion,  and  dip  each  piece  into  the 
batter,  and  drop  it  into  boiling  lard. 

The  recipe  sounded  very  well  to  Molly,  and  her  mind 
went  over  all  sorts  of  improvements  in  flavoring,  from 
simply  adding  vanilla  to  the  introduction  of  chopped 
citron  or  crumbled  macaroons  into  the  custard ;  but  she 
would  make  the  recipe  as  given,  or  as  nearly  as  she 
could  interpret  it,  first. 

Although  the  fritters  would  be  much  better  hot,  per- 
haps, the  book  gave  no  clew  to  that ;  she  knew  they  must 
be  good  warmed  over,  «r  even  coU,  and  as  she  did  not 
want  to  leave  the  dinner-table  to  attend  to  the  frying, — 
being  an  experiment,  —  she  felt  she  must  do  it  herself. 
She  decided  to  cook  them  at  once ;  the  custard  required 
very  careful  handling  while  it  was  being  dipped  in  the 
batter,  and  she  found  the  safest  plan  to  prevent  break- 
ing was  to  pour  the  batter  into  a  saucer,  and  take  up 
the  fritter,  when  dipped,  on  a  broad  knife.     The  batter 


202  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

completely  hid  the  custard,  and.  when  dropped  into  the 
fat,  which  was  very  hot,  it  puffed  up  outside  and  doubled 
the  size. 

They  took  two  minutes  to  get  pale  brown,  and  then 
they  were  laid  on  paper  to  drain ;  and  after  the  sugar 
was  sifted  on  them  they  certainly  were  pretty  to  look  at, 
and  at  dinner  were  found  to  bear  out  their  good  appear- 
ance, and  Molly  added  them  to  her  special  recipes. 

The  Dresden  patties  slie  wanted  Marta  to  understand 
making,  because  they  were  so  easy,  so  useful,  and  so 
pretty.  With  a  view  to  making  them,  Molly  had  kept 
half  a  stale  loaf  that  was  as  light  as  baker's  bread,  —  too 
light,  she  thought,  for  the  table ;  from  it  she  cut  two 
slices  two  inches  thick  and  from  them  she  cut,  with  a 
medium  sized  biscuit-cutter,  three  rounds  ;  the  cutter  was 
simply  a  circle  of  tin  with  a  handle  over  it,  so  that  the 
cutter  went  right  through  the  bread  ;  had  it  had  a  top  to 
prevent  it  going  through,  she  would  have  cut  them  with 
a  half-pound  baking-powder  box.  On  the  top  of  each 
round  of  bread  she  cut  a  smaller  circle  as  for  pastry 
patties ;  now  she  beat  an  Qgg,  added  half  a  pint  of  milk 
with  a  pinch  of  salt,  and  stood  the  three  patties  in  it, 
telling  Marta  to  let  them  stay  so  at  least  an  hour,  turn- 
ing them  about,  but  being  careful  not  to  break  them, 
the  idea  being  to  let  the  egg  and  milk  soak  well  into 
them,  and  to  make  them  as  moist  as  possible  without 
breaking.  It  will  be  remembered  that  one  sweetbread 
only  was  cooked  two  days  ago  ;  the  other  was  now  cut 
into  dice,  two  tea-spoonfuls  of  flour  and  butter  and  a  gill 
of  stock  made  into  bechamel  sauce,  and  the  sweetbreads 
put  to  it  with  a  table-spoonful  of  oyster  liquor  (as  she 
happened  to  have  it).  This  thinned  the  sauce  suffi- 
ciently to  let  the  sweetbreads  cook  in  it  without  burn- 
ing. By  the  time  they  were  done  the  sauce  would  be 
reduced  again  and  very  thick  (or,  if  it  should  not  be,  the 
sweetbreads  would  be  taken  out,  and  the  sauce  boiled 
fast  and  stirred  till  very  thick). 

Marta  had  the  lard  ready,  very  hot  indeed,  when 
Molly  came  out  to  show  her  how  to  fry  the  patties.    She 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  203 

put  them  to  drain,  using  a  cake-turner,  for  they  would 
not  bear  handling. 

*'  At  some  times  these  are  rolled  in  flour,  at  others  in 
egg  and  crumbs,  and  I  think  they  are  prettier  for  crumb- 
ing ;  but  it  is  not  necessary,  and  I  will  save  an  egg. 
Now  I  am  going  to  drop  them  into  the  fat,  which  is  as 
hot  as  it  can  be  without  burning.  Stand  aside,  for  it 
will  splutter  very  much."  Each  one  was  dropped  from 
the  end  of  the  cake-turner,  and,  as  Molly  said,  tliey 
"  spluttered." 

"  I  leave  them  on  the  very  hottest  part  of  the  fire, 
because  they  are  filled  with  cold  custard,  which  will  keep 
the  temperature  about  right  for  five  minutes  ;  then  draw 
them  a  little  aside  if  they  are  brown,  and  let  them  re- 
main two  minutes."  When  taken  up  they  were  a  bright 
brown,  looking  almost  like  a  doughnut  that  had  been 
shaped  like  a  small  Charlotte  Russe.  The  centre  was 
then  scooped  out,  leaving  about  half  an  inch  of  crust  all 
round,  which  was  filled  with  the  fricasseed  sweetbreads 
piled  in  the  centre. 

"  The  beauty  of  these  patties  is  that  they  can  be  made 
early  and  heated  in  the  oven,  and  that  they  are  suitable 
for  dessert  with  preserves,  or  are  excellent  filled  with 
any  kind  of  rich  minced  meat  or  oysters." 

Molly  had  long  wanted  to  make  an  experiment  with 
oysters  ;  she  believed  simply  panned  and  served  with 
brown  butter  they  would  be  delicious.  She  had  never 
heard  of  "  oysters  au  heurre  noir,^^  but,  knowing  they 
must  be  good,  resolved  to  try  the  experiment.  She 
waited,  however,  till  Harry  was  in  the  house,  for  they 
would  spoil  by  standing. 

She  made  the  sauce  first,  because  the  oysters  must  not 
wait.  She  put  a  good  table-spoonful  of  butter  into  a 
little  saucepan  and  watched  it  till  it  got  golden  brown, 
but  did  not  burn ;  then  she  put  it  aside  to  cool  a  little, 
and  heated  a  tea-spoonful  of  vinegar  in  a  cup,  Marta 
meantime  draining  the  oysters.  They  were  put  in  a 
stewpan  with  pepper  and  salt,  covered  tightly  and  set 
over  the  fire  and  tossed  round  once  or  twice,  the  heated 


204  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

(but  not  boiled)  vinegar  was  put  to  the  brown  butter, 
they  were  made  very  hot  together,  and  when  the  oysters 
were  plumped  in  their  own  steam,  they  were  drained  o£E 
and  turned  into  a  hot  dish,  with  the  brown  butter  over 
them,  and  served  at  once.  They  were  such  a  success 
that  this  became  a  favorite  oyster  dish  with  the  Bishop 
family. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

VEAL    AND    HAM    PIE BEEFSTEAK    PUDDING 

TRIFLE. 

Molly's  expense-book  at  the  end  of  the  first  week 
of  her  second  month  (October)  stood  as  follows  : 

3  lbs.  butter $0.75 

Eggs 50 

Milk 60 

Tea 40 

Fuel .50 

Suet 08 

Soup  meat  ......  .20 

Beef  (flauk),  3  lbs 36 

Beets .05 

Bacon 15 

Cream         .......  .10 

Flounder .15 

Beans .04 

Fowl 45 

Oysters .40 

Mutton  (leg) 75 

Bananas .25 

Codfish 24 

Sweetbread .25 

Corn  starch 02 


.34 


In   addition   to   the   usual  week's  supplies,  she   had 

bought  extra : 

Eggs $0.25 

Ice 10 

Milk,  3  pints .12 

$1.47 
The  groceries  for  the  month  came  to  $10.02,  against 
$11.22  for   last   month.     The   week's   proportion    was 
therefore  $2.56,  making  a  total  of  $9.32. 


206  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Molly  had  not  been  specially  economizing  this  last 
week,  and  had  had  some  little  extra  expenses.  She  was 
rejoiced  to  see  that,  even  so,  she  had  a  margin.  Of 
course,  towards  the  end  of  October  would  come  an  in- 
crease in  the  price  of  butter  and  eggs.  This  she  pro- 
posed to  avoid  to  some  extent  by  ordering  at  once  a  pail 
of  fine  October  butter  at  twenty-five  cents,  which  would 
last  for  cooking  through  the  winter,  even  if  it  should 
not  continue  sweet  enough  for  such  fastidious  butter- 
eaters  as  herself  and  Harry  to  use  at  table.  Of  eggs, 
too,  she  had  ordered  a  gross  from  a  farmer  at  twenty- 
five  cents.  This  would  give  one  dozen  a  week  for 
cooking  through  the  twelve  weeks  when  they  were  dear- 
est, and  within  this  dozen  for  cooking  she  meant  to 
keep ;  as  soon  as  they  should  be  dearer,  she  would 
make  fewer  things  that  required  eggs,  and  avoid  their 
use  whenever  she  could  do  without  them.  And,  so  far 
as  she  could,  she  would  supply  herself  with  everything 
that  would  keep  during  winter  and  grow  dearer  as  the 
months  passed  ;  but  as  the  margin  she  now  had  reas- 
sured her  against  any  little  accidental  expenses,  she 
might  safely  reckon  it  would  not  grow  less,  unless  she 
knowingly  increased  her  expenditure  for  any  purpose, 
and  she  would  have  always  a  little  reserve  to  meet  con- 
tingencies without  touching  anything  outside  the  ten 
dollars  a  week. 

On  Monday  of  the  second  week  in  October,  Mrs. 
Welles  was  to  arrive.  Molly  did  not  lay  herself  out  in 
great  preparations  for  her,  for  she  knew  her  friend  would 
be  happiest  in  being  allowed  to  help  her,  and  do  exactly 
as  if  she  were  in  her  own  home.  She  knew  she  could 
give  her  no  greater  pleasure  than  by  so  ordering  her 
table  as  to  be  as  different  as  possible  from  anything  that 
money  alone  could  buy ;  and  simple,  old-fashioned  dishes, 
that  no  hotel  would  supply  in  perfection,  she  would 
have  during  her  stay.  She  did  want  to  arrange,  how- 
ever, so  that  she  need  not  even  think  of  luncheon  for  a 
day  or  two,  and  would  have  something  in  the  house. 
Happily,  in  doing  this,  she  could  gratify  Mrs.  Welles's 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  207 

English  taste,  for  she  would  make  oue  of  the  veal  and 
ham  pies  so  dear  to  English  palates,  so  rarely  to  be 
found  in  perfection  out  of  P^ngland.  Molly  had  been 
taught  by  Mrs.  Welles  herself  to  make  them. 

On  Saturday,  Molly  had  ordered  two  pounds  of  breast 
of  veal  and  a  pound  of  v(3ry  fine  ham,  cut  thin  ;  she 
would  not  need  much  of  it,  but  the  rest  would  be  nice 
for  breakfast.  The  breast  of  veal  was  cut  up  into  pieces 
two  inches  long  and  about  an  inch  wide,  and  put  on  in 
boiling  water  to  simmer  very  gently  one  hour,  the  bones 
with  it.  The  water  being  just  enough  to  cover  the 
meat,  no  salt  was  added,  for  the  meat  should  retain  its 
juices.  When  done,  the  meat  was  removed  from  the 
broth,  the  bones  left  in  it,  and  all  gristly  parts  and 
bones  that  could  not  easily  be  removed  when  raw  cut 
from  it  and  thrown  back  into  the  saucepan  ;  the  meat 
was  then  put  aside,  and  a  salt-spoonful  of  salt,  a  quarter 
one  of  pepper,  and  half  a  bay  leaf,  with  a  small  pinch  of 
thyme,  one  of  savory,  and  two  sprigs  of  parsley,  were 
put  to  the  broth  and  bones,  and  it  was  left  to  cook 
gently  two  hours  longer  ;  then  it  was  allowed  to  reduce 
to  half  a  pint  by  boiling  faster  "with  the  cover  off,  then 
strained  and  put  away.  Molly,  at  the  same  time,  made 
some  rough  puff  paste  (see  recipe,  Chapter  VI.),  and 
left  it  on  the  ice  till  Monday. 

This  morning,  therefore,  she  had  nothing  to  do  but 
put  the  pie  together,  which  she  did  in  the  following 
way: 

The  ham  she  cut  in  very  thin  strips,  using  about  a 
quarter  of  a  pound.  These  she  poured  cold  water  upon, 
and  put  where  they  would  come  slowly  to  the  boiling- 
point.  Had  she  had  any  cold  boiled  ham,  she  would 
have  used  it  in  preference  ;  but  she  could  remove  any 
strong  taste  by  this  parboiling.  While  it  was  doing, 
she  made  forcemeat  balls  thus  : 

Half  a  cup  of  fine  bread  crumbs,  a  tea-spoonful  of 
finely  chopped  parsley,  the  eighth  of  a  tea-spoonful  each 
of  powdered  thyme  and  marjoram,  one  squeeze  of  lemon 
juice  ;  flavor  with  nutmeg  by  just  rubbing  it  once  across 


208  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

the  grater,  a  suspicion  of  lemon  peel,  a  scant  salt-spoon- 
ful of  salt,  a  quarter  one  of  pepper.  Chop  into  this  a 
good  table-spoonful  of  butter  (or  finely  chopped  suet,  she 
would  sometimes  have  used) ;  the  whole  made  into  a 
stiff  paste,  with  an  egg  well  beaten  with  a  table-spoon- 
ful of  water.  It  did  not  take  all  the  egg  ;  about  a  table- 
spoonful  was  left,  which  Molly  reserved  to  glaze  the 
pie.  In  making  the  forcemeat  into  paste,  she  was  care- 
ful to  handle  lightly,  not  to  squeeze  or  knead  it,  and 
when  it  was  well  mixed  she  sprinkled  flour  on  her 
hands,  took  a  tea-spoonful  of  forcemeat,  and  made  it 
into  a  ball.     She  used  the  remainder  in  the  same  way. 

Then  she  took  a  deep  oval  dish,  and  put  at  the  bottom 
a  layer  of  the  ham,  then  one  of  veal,  and  four  forcemeat 
balls  (one  at  each  corner),  a  little  salt  and  pepper,  and  a 
few  more  bits  of  ham,  another  layer  of  veal,  and  half  a 
dozen  forcemeat  balls.  The  dish  was  now  full.  She 
piled  more  meat  and  a  little  ham  towards  the  centre 
till  it  was  dome-shaped,  and  then  filled  every  crevice 
with  the  strong  jelly  formed  from  the  meat  and  bones. 

Now  she  rolled  out  the  paste,  and  cut  a  long  strip  the 
third  of  an  inch  thick  and  an  inch  wide.  She  wetted 
the  lip  of  the  dish,  laid  the  paste  round,  and  pressed  it 
close  on  the  inner  side,  so  that  the  gravy  could  not  boil 
up  under  it.  Then  she  moistened  the  upper  surface, 
laid  the  sheet  of  paste  over  the  pie,  and  with  both  hands 
gently  pressed  the  paste  into  the  groove  formed  between 
the  dome  shape  of  the  meat  and  the  dish ;  then,  with  a 
sharp  knife,  she  cut  off  the  overlapping  paste,  so  as  not 
to  drag  it  in  the  least ;  and  then,  with  the  back  of  her 
forefinger,  laid  on  the  top  of  the  border,  pressed  the  up- 
per and  under  paste  gently,  hit  closely,  together,  but  was 
very  careful  to  leave  the  edges  untouched. 

She  cut  a  hole  in  the  centre  to  let  out  steam,  rolled  a 
piece  of  paste  very  thin,  cut  from  it  four  diamonds  two 
inches  long  from  point  to  point,  laid  the  four,  with  the 
points  to  the  centre,  round  the  hole  ;  and,  rolling  another 
bit  of  paste  as  thin  as  paper,  dusted  it  with  flour,  folded 
it  up  several  times,  then  turned  the  four  corners  of  the 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  209 

little  many-folded  square  to  form  a  little  ball  as  large 
as  an  olive,  and  cut  a  cross  deeply,  and  with  a  sharp 
knife,  across  the  top ;  then  turned  back  the  corners  as  if 
she  were  opening  a  pond-lily  bud ;  and  there  was  a 
rousrh  imitation  of  a  flower.  This  she  inserted  in  the 
hole  in  the  pie,  which  it  was  large  enough  to  cover, 
without  closing  up  too  much  for  the  steam  to  get  out. 
With  a  feather  she  now  brushed  the  pie  over  with  the 
yolk  of  an  egg,  not  leaving  a  spot  untouched,  except  the 
edge^  which  was  not  glazed.  Molly  explained  to  Marta, 
who  asked  the  reason  for  the  omission  as  she  passed  on 
her  way  to  the  boiler,  for  she  was  washing. 

"  If  I  washed  the  edges  with  egg^  the  paste  could  not 
rise  so  well ;  for  the  leaves  would  be  glued  together,  as 
it  were.  This  is  the  rule  in  all  use  of  pastry :  Leave  the 
edges  quite  untouched ;  do  not  even  smooth  them  with 
your  finger.  Smoothing  them  and  pressing  them  with 
your  thumb,  which  I  have  told  you  not  to  do,  is  the  rea- 
son why  your  pies,  even  if  I  make  the  paste,  are  never 
as  handsome  as  mine.  You  smooth  the  life  out  of  the 
paste  and  squeeze  all  the  air  from  between  the  leaves 
which  one  is  at  such  trouble  to  make ;  and  it  is  the  air 
that  causes  the  flakes." 

Molly  put  the  pie  in  the  oven,  which  was  about  the 
right  heat  for  bread, — that  is  to  say,  she  could  count 
twenty-five  while  her  hand  was  held  in  it.  In  an  hour, 
it  was  pale  brown  all  over.  It  was  taken  out  of  the 
oven,  and  left  a  few  minutes  on  the  table  till  the  con- 
tents had  ceased  to  boil ;  and  then  what  remained  of  the 
jelly  was  warmed,  the  pastry  "  rose"  was  lifted  gently 
from  the  centre,  a  funnel  inserted  in  the  hole,  and  the 
jelly,  warmed,  was  poured  carefully  through  it  into  the 
pie.  Molly  watched,  while  pouring  slowly,  that  the  last 
disappeared  before  adding  more,  for  fear  the  pie  might 
overflow  ;  then  the  "  rose  "  was  replaced. 

This  pie  is  good  hot,  but  in  England  is  always  eaten 
cold,  and  cold  she  knew  Mrs.  Welles  would  prefer  it. 
The  great  thing  to  be  desired  in  these  cold  pies  is  plenty 
of  savory  jelly  in  between  the  meat,  and  very  light 
crust. 


210  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

While  the  pie  was  baking,  Molly  had  set  the  pastry 
back  on  the  ice,  while  she  made  the  filling  for  some 
cheese  cakes. 

Properly  they  should  be  made  of  sweet  curd,  dried 
and  crumbled,  hence  the  name.  But  Molly  had  eaten 
excellent  ones  in  which  ground  rice,  boiled  to  thick 
mush,  was  the  foundation  ;  others  in  which  bread 
crumbs  were  substituted,  the  object  being  to  get  a  body 
of  some  plain  material  other  than  flour,  with  which  the 
rich  ones  could  be  incorporated ;  but  her  own  favorite 
way  was  to  use  rolled  cracker.  She  put  two  heaped 
table-spoonfuls  in  a  bowl,  and  three  table-spoonfuls  of 
sugar.  She  beat  two  table-spoonfuls  of  butter,  from 
which  the  salt  had  been  washed,  till  it  creamed,  added 
the  5'olks  of  two  eggs,  and  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon, 
and  the  peel  of  one,  grated.  Then  she  blanched  and 
chopped  fine  as  possible  two  table-spoonfuls  of  almonds, 
and  added  to  them  a  few  drops  of  bitter  almond ;  then 
all  were  put  together,  and  a  large  table-spoonful  of  wine 
was  added. 

Molly  tasted  to  see  if  the  bitter  almond  was  pleasantly 
perceptible,  and  then  rolled  out  the  paste  and  lined  patty- 
pans with  it,  taking  care  to  press  only  the  centre  to 
make  it  adhere,  not  the  edges-;  then  a  large  tea-spoonful 
was  put  into  each  (the  patty-pans  were  small),  and  they 
were  put  in  the  oven  and  baked  a  beautiful  pale  brown. 
They  needed  watching  closely,  as  the  filling  would  easily 
burn. 

The  dinner  was  to  be  a  homely  English  one,  which 
would  not  necessitate  her  being  in  the  kitchen  at  all 
after  her  friend  arrived,  as  it  would  consist  of :  — 

Clear  Soup. 

beefsteak  Pudding, 

Stewed  Onions.  Fried  Potatoes. 

Trifle. 

The  soup,  for  which  the  stock  was  made  on  Saturday, 
could  be  left  to  Marta ;  also  the  vegetables.  The  pud- 
ding required  three  hours'  constant  boiling,  and  there- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  211 

fore  could  be  made  and  be  cooking  before  Charlotte  ar- 
rived.    The  trifle,  also,  could  be  ready. 

She  had  bought  in  the  morninor  half  a  dozen  small 
sponge  cakes  and  a  dozen  macaroons.  She  now  made 
some  very  thick  custard  with  the  yolks  of  two  eggs,  a 
small  tea-spoonful  of  corn  starch  and  half  a  pint  of  milk, 
and  sugar  to  taste. 

The  milk  was  put  on  to  boil,  the  corn  starch  mixed 
with  a  very  little  of  it,  cold,  and  stirred  into  the  hot 
milk.  Both  were  boiled  together  five  minutes  ;  then  it 
was  allowed  to  cool  very  little,  and  the  beaten  yolks 
and  sugar  added.  The  object  of  boiling  the  corn  starch 
is  to  cook  it,  as,  after  the  eggs  are  in,  the  custard  must 
not  boil,  but  only  be  kept  at  boiling-point  till  they 
thicken.  (See  directions  for  boiling  custard,  Chapter 
XXIX.) 

When  the  custard  was  made,  it  was  flavored  with  al- 
mond, set  to  cool,  and  Molly  laid  the  sponge  cakes  in  a 
glass  dish,  about  two  inches  deep.  She  poured  a  glass 
of  wine  over  them,  moistening  them  thoroughly,  and 
sprinkled  them  with  sugar  thickly.  Over  this  she 
spread  a  layer  of  raspberry  jam  half  an  inch  thick  ;  then 
the  macaroons  were  laid  over  it.  Then  she  poured  the 
cold  custard  on  it.  While  it  had  been  getting  cold,  she 
whipped  half  a  pint  of  cream,  sweetened  and  flavored 
with  vanilla.  This  was  now  piled  high  over  the  cus- 
tard, and  it  was  put  in  the  ice-box  to  get  very  cold.  At 
the  last  it  was  to  be  decorated  with  little  knobs  of  red 
currant  jelly  and  blanched  almonds  cut  in  strips. 

Now  there  was  the  pudding  to  make.  She  was  get- 
ting all  done  earlv,  because  she  was  going  to  meet  Mrs. 
W^elles  ;  but  the  pudding  would  not  be  injured  by  stand- 
ing half  an  hour  before  it  went  into  the  water,  which  it 
should  do  at  three  o'clock. 

She  had  a  pound  and  a  half  of  very  fine,  juicy  round 
steak.  This  she  cut  into  pieces  an  inch  or  so  square, 
rejecting  all  gristle  and  skin,  but  using  a  very  little  of 
the  fat.  This  meat  she  seasoned  highly  with  pepper 
and    salt,  stirring   it  up  among  the  pieces.     Then   she 


212  T'E.V   DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

made  a  suet  crust  (see  recipe,  Chapter  XIII.)  and 
greased  very  well  a  quart  bowl.  When  the  crust  was 
rolled  to  an  even  half  inch  thick,  she  laid  the  sheet  in 
the  bowl,  pressing  it  gently  all  round.  Into  this  she 
put  the  meat,  and,  when  the  bowl  was  full,  poured  in 
a  half  cup  of  water  ;  then  she  gathered  up  the  overlap- 
ping paste,  and  pinched  it  togetlier  to  form  a  cover,  leav- 
ing no  cracks  through  which  the  gravy  could  get  out. 
A  floured  cloth  was  now  put  over  the  pudding,  and  a 
string  passed  twice  round  the  flaring  parts  and  tied  se- 
curely. The  four  ends  of  the  cloth  were  brought  over 
the  top  and  tied.  The  pudding  could  be  lifted  by  these 
knotted  ends  as  if  it  were  a  basket  or  bundle. 

Marta  bad  now  done  washing  and  cleared  up,  and  was 
able  to  attend  to  Molly's  directions. 

'*  Marta.  I  shall  see  this  pudding  in  the  pot  before  I 
go  to  the  train,  and  watch  it  come  to  the  boiling-point 
quickly  again  ;  but  you  must  remember  it  must  never 
cease  boiling,  or  it  will  be  heavy.  When  you  go  to  take 
it  up,  remove  the  cloth  and  string;  then  run  a  thin 
knife  round  close  to  the  bowl,  and  turn  it  out  gently 
on  a  hot  dish,  trying  not  to  break  the  pudding  in  doing 
so." 

Molly  had  the  water  on  in  a  pot,  that  it  might  be 
ready  boiling  by  three  ;  and,  although  she  had  warned 
Marta  to  keep  it  boiling,  she  did  not  mean  to  trust  en- 
tirely to  her  for  it,  but  would  come  herself  to  look  at  it 
every  half  hour  or  so. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  eggs  had  come,  and  Molly 
had  waitiiior  readv  a  keg  half  filled  with  lime-water, 
made  by  dissolving  one  pound  of  quicklime  in  a  gallon 
of  water,  allowed  to  stand  all  day  and  then  poured  clear 
from  the  sediment.  The  sediment  was  rather  more  than 
the  mere  sprinkling  it  should  have  been,  and  she  feared 
it  mio^ht  be  too  strong,  and  added  more  water  and  ao^ain 
let  it  settle,  when  it  nearly  all  dissolved ;  the  rule  being 
to  put  in  as  much  lime  as  will  just  dissolve,  leaving  only 
sediment  enough  to  show  that  this  point  is  reached. 
She  then  very  carefully  put  in  the  eggs,  washing  every 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  213 

soiled  one,  and  warned  Marta  never  to  stir  them,  and, 
when  taking  them  out.  to  be  very  careful,  as  one  broken 
or  cracked  would  spoil  the  whole ;  if  this  occurs,  fresh 
lime-water  must  be  used. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

TOWN    VERSUS    COUNTRY THE    SERVANT    QUESTION. 

It  was  with  a  heart  full  of  happy  content  that  Molly 
started  to  meet  Mrs.  Welles,  and  when  the  train  slowed 
into  the  depot,  she  saw  a  well-known  head,  with  bright 
chestnut  hair,  leaning  out  of  the  window. 

The  next  moment  they  were  exchanging  greetings 
like  two  gay  school-girls,  for  they  were  both  warm- 
hearted, impetuous  women,  and  apt  to  be  rather  regard- 
less of  bystanders  and  appearances. 

*'  Dear  girl,  you  look  so  well,"  said  her  friend,  holding 
her  off  a  minute  to  look  at  her.  "  I  see  Harry  is  not 
killing  you  with  kindness,  as  I  used  to  predict  he  would." 

*'  And  you,  too,  look  well,  notwithstanding  the  hotel 
life  you  abhor  so.      Where  is  your  trunk  ?  " 

•'  I  had  it  expressed  to  your  house  from  the  hotel. 
It  saves  all  bother,  and  I  knew  you  and  I  would  enjoy 
the  walk  home  together,  as  you  are  so  near  the  station." 

And  enjoy  it  they  did,  as  only  women  who  have 
known  each  other  in  girlhood  and  made  plans  and 
dreamed  dreams  together  can.  The  village  street  was 
as  prosy  as  any  other  Jersey  village ;  but  to  these  two, 
who  recalled  London  days,  as  they  went  through  it,  it 
was  poetical  enough ;  and  as  they  left  the  little  stores 
and  faced  the  country  in  all  its  autumn  glory  of  color, 
and  the  sweet  fall  odors  of  ripening  fruit  met  them, 
Mrs.  Welles  drew  a  deep  breath. 

"  How  lovely  this  is  !  No  wonder  you  look  well. 
What  a  waste  it  is,  after  all,  to  live  in  the  city !  " 

"  There  is  something  to  say  on  both  sides,  Harry 
thinks.  We  gain  all  that  nature  gives  in  the  country, 
but  we  lose  art  and  many  things  that  brighten  one's  wits. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  215 

But  people  who  liave  a  very  narrow  income  can  enjoy 
very  few  of  the  advantages  of  city  life,  even  if  they  live 
in  it ;  so,  for  tliem,  tlie  country  is  undoubted  gain." 

When  they  reached  the  house,  Mrs.  Welles  was  de- 
lighted with  it  and  everything  about  it,  and  made  Molly 
tell  her  all  about  her  housekeeping  and  how  she  man- 
aged. When  she  had  given  her  a  sketch  of  her  daily 
life,  Mrs.  Welles  said,  thoughtfully  : 

"  That  is  all  very  nice,  Molly  ;  but  it  seems  to  me 
you  must  have  a  good  deal  to  do,  or  else  your  Marta  is 
a  treasure." 

"  Well,  I  have  a  good  deal  to  do,  and  Marta  is  in  one 
sense  a  treasure,  thougli,  at  the  same  time,  I  can  see  that 
many  people  would  not  get  along  with  her.  Her  good 
qualities  seem  to  be  cleanliness  (although  she  is  not 
tidy),  and  an  ambition  to  be  a  good  cook;  but  for  gen- 
eral work  she  needs  constant  watchinoj  and  tellinor. 
Still,  annoying  as  that  is,  I  do  not  know  that  one  can 
expect  more  in  a  girl  like  her  than  willingness  to  do  the 
work  laid  out  for  her.  If  I  were  paying  for  trained 
service,  I  should  be  dissatisfied ;  but  there  are  few 
trained  girls  who  will  undertake  general  work." 

"  That  seems  to  me  a  matter  of  course.  A  girl  who 
is  anxious  to  rise  is  one  who  will  try  to  learn  how  to  do 
it,  and  it  would  be  hard  if  one  expected  her  to  remain 
always  in  an  inferior  position.  If  we  do  that,  I  think 
we  remove  the  strongest  incentive  to  good  work  —  the 
ambition  to  better  herself.  I  think  it  is  the  general 
lack  of  such  ambition  among  girls,  the  non-recognition 
of  it  as  one  of  the  conditions  of  service  by  ladies,  that 
makes  the  great  difference  between  our  P^nglish  ser- 
vants and  those  here." 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  right,"  said  Molly ;  "  and  that 
seems  to  me  the  true  solution  of  the  servant  difficulty. 
Young  girls  must  learn  that  high  wages  and  lighter  work 
are  to  be  attained  by  proficiency  ;  that  they  can  look  on 
first  places,  where  low  wages  only  ought  to  be  expected, 
as  apprenticeships,  and  every  succeeding  one  to  be  a 
step  higher   toward  the  comfortable  and  well-paid  po- 


216  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.     ' 

sition  an  accomplished  servant-  of  any  branch  ought  to 
be  able  to  command.  But  this  is  something  that  de- 
pends on  the  ladies  themselves.  So  long  as  they  pay 
the  competent  and  incompetent  nearly  alike,  and  do  not 
insist  on  testimonials,  not  only  as  to  respectability  and 
temper,  but  projiciency  in  duties  undertaken,  there  is 
not  much  encouragement  to  an  ambitious  girl,  or  at 
least  she  sees  she  can  get  along  without  making  special 
effort,  and  that,  if  she  does  make  it,  she  will  meet  with 
the  discouraging  fact  that  she  is  in  competition  with 
those  who  have  made  no  effort." 

"  Still,  one  would  think  that  is  a  thing  that  would  cure 
itself.  Every  one  would  rather  pay  competent  servants 
than  incompetent." 
^  "  Of  course,  if  they  know  it.  But.  when  two  girls 
come  well  recommended,  how  can  you  or  I  tell  which  is 
the  really  competent  one,  if,  as  if  often  the  case,  a  good- 
natured  lady  has  taken  her  servant's  good  qualities,  her 
amiability  and  willingness,  more  into  account  than  the 
efficient  discharge  of  her  duties  ?  I  have  kept  my  eyes 
wide  open  on  this  subject,  and  find  that  a  neat-looking, 
willing  girl  will  nearly  always  keep  a  place,  even  if  not 
competent  for  its  duties,  and  be  well  recommended  when 
she  leaves  ;  not,  as  justice  demands,  recommended  for 
the  qualities  she  actually  has,  but  also  for  general  com- 
petence." 

Mrs.  Welles  looked  slyly  at  Molly. 

"  And  what  character  would  you  give  Marta  ?  " 

"  Now,  that  is  hardly  fair.  I  see  the  evil.  I  don't 
say  I  can  do  anything  to  remedy  it ;  that  has  to  be  a 
general  movement.  When  I  am  in  Rome,  I  suppose  I 
should  do  as  the  Romans  do ;  yet  I  would  try  to  be  very 
specific.  But  it  would  do  no  good.  If  Marta  leaves 
rae  and  applies  for  a  place  as  first-class  cook  she  will  get 
it.  Some  few  ladies  will  need  some  more  corroboration 
than  her  word  and  my  letter,  testifying  to  general  good 
conduct ;  but  many  will  readily  take  her,  and  she  will 
stay  a  month  or  two,  if  not  longer,  get  large  wages 
enough  to  make  it  as  profitable  to  wait  for  another  well- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  217 

paid  place  if  she  does  not  readily  find  it.  A  girl  recom- 
mended as  clean  and  willing  will  get  a  place  as  cook  if 
she  has  the  hardihood  to  assert  her  ability  ;  yet  who 
would  employ  a  carpenter  simply  fur  his  amiability?" 

"Then  you  would  have  apprenticeship  among  ser- 
vants as  among  artisans  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  if  it  could  be,  I  would  ;  in  other  countries 
there  is  practical  apprenticeship  without  bonds,  that  en- 
sures, to  the  painstaking  employer  who  does  her  best  for 
a  girl,  not  losing  her  the  moment  she  has  learnt  the  first 
rudiments  of  housework,  and  her  apprentice  year  would 
be  at  low  wages ;  she  would  have  the  option  of  ad- 
vancing her  year  by  year,  or  of  letting  her  go  and  tak- 
ing a  fresh  '  prentice  '  hand." 

"  I  pity  the  woman." 

"So  do  I,  yet  it  is  just  what  we  all  do  more  or  less 
without  any  distinct  benefit.  Of  course  no  reasonable 
person  would  expect  a  girl  to  remain  at  the  low  wages 
when  she  became  worth  mor^e." 

"That's  just  what  I  was  thinking,  Molly.  You  will 
make  Marta  worth  a  good  deal  more  than  SIO  a  month 
as  wages  go." 

"  I  know  it,  but  I  shall  be  content  to  give  her  $12 
when  she  she  can  do  my  work  with  only  superintendence 
on  my  part,  and  later  on  I  shall  expect  her  to  ask  me 
$14;  and  I  shall  have  to  decide  to  give  it,  or  take 
some  one  else  ;  yet,  if  she  does  her  best  till  then  I  shall 
not  feel  ill  used,  things  being  as  they  are.  We  can't 
expect  a  young  woman  like  Marta  to  be  better  than  her 
times." 

"  Still,  this  comes  back  to  the  same  point ;  you  have  a 
good  deal  to  do." 

"  Yes,  but  what  better  employment  can  I  have  ?  AVe 
live  about  as  comfortably  as  if  we  kept  two  servants, 
because  I  do  much  of  the  lighter  work  ;  I  have  no  drudg- 
ery. Marta  does  that.  I  have  very  few  social  duties.  I 
have  plenty  of  time  to  read  and  do  my  little  sewing  and  we 
live  as  I  like  to  live  ;  1  should  not  be  so  happy  any  other 
way.     When  I  have  children  I  shall  have  less  time,  but 


218  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

I  expect  Marta  will  be  able  to  go  on  pretty  well  with  au 
hour  of  my  time  in  the  kitchen." 

"But suppose  IVIarta  wants  to  leave?" 

"  I  don't  thiiik  she  will.  She  seems  to  have  the  Eu- 
ropean horror  of  changing  and,  I  think,  believes  herself 
part  of  the  family.  If  1  am  mistaken  I  shall  be  unfortu- 
nate, but  my  altering  my  policy  now  would  not  change 
matters.  1  made  up  my  mind  to  expect  very  little  be- 
yond hand  work  from  one  servant ;  that  I  have  got." 

They  chatted  till  Harry  came  home,  Mrs.  Welles  un- 
able to  make  up  her  mind  whether  Molly's  ideas  were 
wise  or  foolish ;  as  ideas  they  were  good,  of  course,  but 
how  would  they  work  in  practice?  Mrs.  Welles  was 
too  English  to  understand  why  a  woman  should  make  up 
her  mind  to  put  up  with  half  service,  and  she  had  been 
too  well  off  since  she  had  been  married  to  have  learnt  by 
experience. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

ox -TAIL     SOUP GRISINI  —  STEWED    LAMB    AND 

PEAS  MERINGUES    WITH   CREAM. 

Mrs.  Welles's  trunk  arrived  the  next  morning  and 
Molly  found  her  friend  had  come  as  she  said,  "•  prepared 
and  loaded  for  a  kitchen  campaign."  Several  little  things 
not  easily  obtained  in  a  country  town  she  had  brought, 
and    last  of  all    she  handed  out  a    paper  package. 

"  There,  Molly,  I  thought,  perhaps,  you  had  none,  and 
I  have  two  or  three  recipes  needing  the  stuff,  so  I  made 
sure  and  brought  it  with  me." 

Molly  had  meanwhile  cut  the  strings  and  saw  in  the 
paper  a  thick  roll  of  something  wrapped  in  waxed  paper. 

"Ah,  almond  paste!  I  wished  when  I  was  chopping 
almonds  the  other  day  that  I  had  some." 

The  almond  paste  was  a  substance  that  looked,  in 
color  and  appearance,  like  very  heavy  bread :  it  was 
almonds  ground  by  machinery,  and  saved  infinite  time 
in  preparing  almonds  for  macaroons,  cake,  etc. 

"  There,  Mistress  Molly,  you  see  we  are  going  to  make 
goodies  while  I  am  here." 

*'  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  my  part  and  sit  at  your  feet 
again." 

"  Nonsense,  Molly,  I  have  nothing  to  teach  you.  You 
were  too  intelligent  not  to  see,  when  you  had  the  key  to 
a  few  things,  that  the  rest  was  a  matter  of  experiment 
and  practice  ;  but  while  I  was  in  London  I  had  some  rec- 
ipes given  to  me,  vaguely  written,  as  amateur  recipes 
usually  are,  but  I  want  to  try  to  get  them  right." 

Molly,  mindful  of  her  guest's  English  tastes,  had  asked 
her  butcher  to  save  her  two  ox-tails,  as  they  were  very 
cheap  things,  and  she  prepared  them  for  soup  while  Mrs. 
Welles  finished  her  unpacking. 


220  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

First,  she  cut  up  the  tails  into  joints  and  each  joint  of 
the  root  of  it  into  three,  then  put  them  on  the  fire,  in 
cold  water,  let  it  come  to  the  boiling-point,  drained 
them  olf  and  pumped  cold  water  on  them.  This  was  the 
process  called  "  blanching,"  so  often  directed  in  cooking- 
books  without  further  explanation.  They  were  then 
dried  in  a  cloth,  dusted  with  flour,  put  in  a  pot  with  a 
table-spoonful  of  butter,  and  fried  a  bright  brown  and 
frequently  stirred  round,  to  color  them  evenly;  then  she 
cut  up  a  carrot,  a  turnip,  and  an  onion,  and  put  them 
into  it,  then  added  a  bay  leaf,  three  sprigs  of  parsley, 
half  a  salt-spoonful  of  thyme  and  marjoram,  two  cloves, 
a  tea-spoonful  and  a  half  of  salt,  and  half  a  salt-spoonful 
of  pepper  and  two  quarts  of  water.  This  was  to  simmer 
four  hours ;  at  the  end  of  the  second  hour  a  few  of  the 
nicest  joints  of  the  tail  were  taken  out  to  serve  in  the 
soup,  tlie  others  left  to  boil  down  with  it.  Half  an  hour 
before  dinner  the  soup  was  strained  and  a  table-spoonful 
of  brown  thickening  (recipe  in  Chapter  XIII.)  stirred 
into  it  to  make  it  the  consistency  of  very  thin  cream. 
As  it  boiled  down  it  would  grow  thicker ;  then  it  was  put 
to  boil  fast,  without  a  cover,  and  every  few  minutes 
skimmed.  When  quite  clear  of  fat,  the  joints  of  the  tail 
were  put  in,  a  glass  of  wine  added,^  and  the  soup  was 
ready  to  serve. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop's  turn  was  near  to  receive  the 
reading-club,  and  Molly  had  thought  it  would  be  pleasant 
to  have  it  the  week  Charlotte  was  with  her.  The  lady 
entertaining  could,  of  course,  invite  any  of  her  friends, 
and  Molly  asked  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lennox.  Mrs.  Welles 
was  delighted  to  help,  and  the  afternoon  was  given  to  a 
discussion  of  what  should  be  provided. 

"  We  are  wisely  limited  as  to  what  is  to  constitute 
the  refreshment.  There  must  be  no  oysters  or  ice  cream, 
only  cakes  and  sandwiches  and  coffee  and  tea,  or  choco- 
late." 

"  No  bouillon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  has  been  admitted  in  place  of  one  of  the 

\  The  wine  is  optional. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 


221 


Other  beverages,  as  so  many  can't  take  coffee  or  tea  at 
night." 

"  Let 's  say  coffee  and  bouillon^  then,  and  sandwiches. 
Are  you  limited  to  one  kind  ?  " 

"  No.  Mrs.  Framley,  last  week,  had  tongue,  cheese 
and  chicken." 

"  Well,  liave  chicken  and  lobster  then.  How  many 
guests  shall  you  expect  ?  " 

"About  thirty-four." 

I  suppose  it  is  not  necessary  to  go  further  into  figures 
at  this  day  to  show  that  Molly  was  likely  to  do  all  she 
had  undertaken  to  do  on  her  allowance  of  ten  dollars  a 
week,  but  as  her  evening  was  a  great  success  and  cost 
very  little,  I  will  give  the  details  to  show  how  it  was 
done  and  what  the  actual  cost  was.  The  flavorings 
formed  part  of  Molly's  stores  and  the  almond  paste  was 
given  to  her,  yet  I  add  the  price  here,  for  those  who 
may  wish  to  go  and  do  likewise  may  not  be  so  fortu- 
nate. Although  the  list  of  articles  were  ordered,  they 
were  not  all  used. 


One  dozen  eggs 
One  lobster,  3  pounds     . 
One  can  of  boned  chicken 
One  pound  of  almond  paste 
One  pound  of  butter 
Leg  of  beef     . 
Half  pound  of  coffee 
Milk       .... 
Sugar         .... 
Bread     .... 


$2.87 

The  first  thing  was  to  make  four  loaves  of  nice  bread ; 
this  Molly  did,  using  two  quarts  of  water  and  one  cake 
of  yeast  (see  recipe  for  bread.  Chapter  XV.).  To  save 
trouble  of  cutting,  Mrs.  Welles  suggested  pipe  bread 
{grisini)  to  eat  with  the  bouillon,  and  before  the  bread 
was  put  to  rise  a  piece  was  broken  from  the  dough  of 
the  size  of  a  large  orange  ;  to  this  was  added  the  white 
of  an  egg,  whipped  a  little,  a  tea-spoonful  of  powdered 


222  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

sugar  and  a  good  tea-spoonful  of  butter  softened.  Wlien 
it  was  all  well  iricorporated,  flour,  warmed  and  sifted, 
was  added  to  bring  it  to  the  consistency  of  stiffish  bread- 
dough.  It  was  kneaded  long  and  well  and  set  to  rise. 
It  took  longer  than  the  bread,  because  it  was  a  little 
stiffer  and  also  the  bread  and  additional  flour  weakened 
the  yeast.  When  it  had  swelled  well,  however,  Mrs. 
Welles  and  Molly  sat  down  together  to  roll  it,  while 
Marta  attended  to  the  dinner,  which  was  to  consist  of 
soup,  stewed  lamb  and  peas,  stuffed  potatoes  and  me- 
rinyues,  with  whipped  cream. 

The  meringues  had  been  made  in  the  morning  and  the 
cream  whipped.  The  stewed  lamb  was  something  so 
simple  that  it  could  be  left  to  Marta,  although  in  leaving 
any  stewing  or  boiling  to  Marta,  now  or  any  other  time, 
Molly  never  omitted  an  occasional  glance  to  see  that  it 
neither  left  off  simmering  and  that  the  simmering  had 
not  become  boiling. 

"The  rolling  out  of  grisini  is  a  very  tedious  task," 
said  Mrs.  Welles,  "  but  the  compensation  is  that  they 
keep  as  well  as  crackers,  once  made." 

"  You  will  have  to  direct  me,  Charlotte,  as  I  have 
never  made  these  before." 

"  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  roll  a  small  piece  of  dough 
under  your  hands  on  the  board,  so,  till  it  is  no  thicker 
than  a  pencil.  If  the  dough  is  too  soft  —  it  should  be 
stiffer  than  bread-dough,  yet  quite  elastic  —  you  can  add 
a  very  little  flour."  As  she  spoke  she  laid  her  two 
hands  over  a  bit  of  dough  as  large  as  a  hickory  nut  and 
began  rolling,  pressing  pretty  hard  as  she  rolled. 

"  If  they  do  not  roll  smooth,  wet  your  palm  with  milk 
slightly." 

Molly  followed  directions.  As  each  pipe  was  made  it 
was  laid  on  a  l)aking-pan.  They  were  irregular  in 
length,  but  generally  about  nine  or  ten  inches  long. 

It  took  tiiem  half  an  hour  to  roll  them,  for  it  was  diffi- 
cult at  first  for  Molly  to  get  hers  of  fairly  even  thick- 
ness all  the  way  down,  but  practice  brought  facility. 
The  dough  made  about  three  dozen,  and  they  were  put 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  223 

in  a  warm  place  to  swell  till  a«  thick  as  a  medium-Bized 
cigar.  Then  they  were  to  be  baked  in  a  cool  oven  //yi// 
an  //owr.  They  were  to  be  very  lightly  colored,  wheu 
done,  about  like  pilot  biscuits,  and  should  snap  short; 
hence  the  slow  oven,  as  they  must  dry  as  well  as  c^>ok. 

The  bread  had  not  been  set  till  early  in  the  morning, 
80  that  it  might  bake  late  in  the  day,  for  Molly's  recef>- 
tion  was  to  be  on  Friday  —  this  was  Wednesday  —  and 
she  wanted  the  bread  to  be  as  near  as  fKjssible  two  days 
old,  for  sandwiches,  yet  not  at  all  stale.  The  houillon 
and  rakes  would  ?>e  made  Thursday,  and  there  would  h>e 
ijothing  but  the  sandwiches  to  cut  and  coffee  to  make  on 
the  day  itself.  Molly  was  anxious  XA)  get  all  done  before 
that,  so  as  to  be  quite  fresh  for  her  friends. 

Before  \it'd.\\\\y^  the  kitchen  she  went  over  the  reci[i€8 
she  had  written  for  Marta's  gui^Jance,  emphasizing  all 
important  points.  For  the  stewed  lamb  there  were  some 
lean  chops  from  under  the  shoulder  (see  Chapter  ITI.^  ; 
these  were  floured  and  laid  in  a  stewpan  with  a  little  but- 
ter and  fried  brown,  an  onion  cut  up  and  a  piece  of  carrot 
(half  a  small  onej,  and  enough  hot  water  barely  to 
cover  them  was  fxjured  on  them  with  half  a  tea-sp^'jon- 
ful  of  salt.  They  were  to  stew  very  slowly  for  two 
hours,  then  taken  up  and  kept  hot  while  the  gravy  was 
skimmed  and  allowed  to  boil  down  to  half  a  pint,  a  large 
teaspoonfal  of  brown  thickening  was  put  into  it  and  a 
can  of  peas,  and  seasoned  to  taste,  then  the  meat  was  re- 
turned and  allowed  to  stew  very  gently  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  more. 

Harry  had  been  told  laughingly  he  was  to  expect  a 
very  plain  dinner. 

'*  And  is  that  the  result  of  having  two  expert  cooks  in 
the  house  ?  Mrs.  Welles,  I  Ve  been  f>etting  my  digestion 
for  the  last  month  in  order  to  cope  with  the  culinary  pro- 
ductions of  the  pair  of  you,  and  this  is  the  result.  I  've 
heard  before  that  too  many  cooks  spoil  the  broth,  bat  I 
didn't  know  it  extended  to  the  whole  dinner." 

Although  Molly  had  made  the  meringuas  herself,  she 
had  written  the  recipe,  wl#ch  is  as  follows : 


224  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Beat  the  white  of  two  eggs  as  stiff  as  possible,  that  is 
to  say,  till  it  will  not  slip  out  of  the  bowl,  then  stir  into 
it  very  gently  three  ounces  of  powdered  sugar,  remem- 
bering the  rule  that  anytliing  to  be  mixed  with  white  of 
egg  must  be  done  with  a  light  lifting  motion  of  the  spoon, 
rather  than  stirring,  which  may  liquefy  the  eggs.  Fill 
a  table-spoon  with  the  mixture  and  turn  on  to  a  sheet  of 
white  paper  placed  on  a  board  which  has  been  made  a 
little  damp;  the  moulds  should  be  oval,  like  half  an  egg. 
Put  them  in  a  very  cool  oven  for  fifteen  or  twenty  min- 
utes, then  open  the  door  and  leave  them  ten  minutes 
longer ;  the  idea  is  to  make  the  crust  as  thick  as  possible, 
which  is  done  by  the  long  slow  drying  ;  if  firm  enough 
remove  them  from  the  paper,  take  out  the  moist  centre 
very  carefully,  and  when  cold  fill  them  with  cream, 
flavored,  sweetened,  and  whipped  solid  (recipe  Chapter 
XXVIII.),  then  put  two  together  ;  they  should  be  over 
full,  and  the  cream  show  considerably  between  the  two 
sides. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

MACAROONS JUMBLES —  GENOESE  TABLETTES 

IRISH  STEW. 

The  next  day  Mrs.  Welles  and  Molly  were  in  the 
kitchen  bright  and  early.  She  had  ordered  the  day  be- 
fore all  she  would  need  for  dinner,  and  did  not  require 
to  leave  tlie  house.  They  had  planned  to  make  maca- 
roons and  fancy  cakes.  For  the  macaroons,  half  a 
pound  of  almond  paste  and  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of 
powdered  sugar  were  weiglied  carefully,  then  three 
large  eggs  were  separated  and  beaten.  Mrs.  Welles 
put  the  almond  paste  in  the  chopping-howl,  and  chopped 
it  into  fine  crumbs  (which  saves  a  good  deal  of  mashing 
with  a  fork),  while  Molly  beat  eggs  and  added  the  sugar, 
making  icing,  in  fact ;  then  the  crumbled  almond  paste 
was  put  to  it  and  mashed  with  the  back  of  a  fork  into 
the  icing,  till  it  was  all  smooth  and  perfectly  blended ; 
some  sheets  of  thin  paper  were  rubbed  with  suet  and 
cut  to  fit  the  dripping-pan,  on  which  they  were  to  be 
baked ;  half  a  tea-sf>oonful  was  dropped  on  a  bit  of 
paper,  and  put  in  to  try  the  oven,  and  meanwhile  a 
dozen  or  so  of  almonds  were  blanched  and  each  split 
into  six. 

The  macaroon,  when  looked  at,  had  flattened  down,  as 
it  should  do,  but  just  a  shade  more  than  was  just  right, 
and  a  tea-spoonful  more  powdered  sugar  was  stirred  in. 
Tlien  the  mixture  was  taken  up  on  the  end  of  a  tea- 
spoon, and  bits  as  large  as  small  nutmegs  were  dro[)ped 
on  the  greased  paper,  —  about  two  inches  apart,  —  and 
then  on  each  of  them  three  or  four  bits  of  almond  were 
put  irregularly.  The  oven  was  moderate,  —  not  too 
cool,  nor  yet  hot  enough  to  color  them  till  they  had 
been  in  it  ten  minutes. 
15 


226  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  While  you  bake  those,  I  '11  make  some  Genoese 
pastry,"  said  Mrs.  Welles. 

"  That  is  a  novelty  to  me ;  at  least,  I  have  heard  of  it, 
but  not  tried  it.  If  I  remember  rightly  you  told  me  you 
had  once  tried  it,  but  found  it  very  unsatisfactory." 

"  Yes,  it  was  too  sticky  while  warm  to  cut,  and  too 
brittle  when  cold,  but  I  have  now  another  recipe  which 
I  want  to  try,  and  if  it  is  good  it  will  be  just  the  thing 
for  your  fancy  cakes.     This  is  the  recipe  : 

"  Genoese  pastry.  —  Four  ounces  of  flour,  three  of 
butter,  four  of  almond  paste,  and  five  eggs.  Melt  the 
butter  in  a  bowl,  taking  care  it  does  not  get  very  hot. 
Break  the  eggs  into  a  bowl,  add  the  sugar  to 
them,  stand  the  bowl  in  a  saucepan  of  boiling  water,  and 
whip  eggs  and  sugar  for  twenty  minutes,  but  they  must 
not  get  very  hot ;  take  the  bowl  from  the  water,  add  the 
almond  paste,  crumbled  fine,  to  it,  beat  till  smooth,  then 
add  the  butter,  and  last  of  all  slip  in  the  flour,  stirring 
lightly  all  the  time ;  bake,  in  a  round  jelly-cake-pan 
lined  with  buttered  paper  very  neatly  fitted  and  stand- 
ing an  inch  above  the  edge,  in  a  rather  quick  oven  for 
half  an  hour.  When  it  is  done,  no  mark  should  remain 
on  it  when  pressed  with  the  finger." 

*'  Has  any  one  you  know  tried  the  recipe  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  and  I  have  eaten  the  cake,  and  found  it 
excellent." 

Molly  now  opened  the  oven  to  look  at  the  macaroons, 
and  found  they  could  be  put  for  one  minute  at  the  top, 
to  take  a  deeper  tint,  and  another  pan  which  she  had 
ready  could  be  put  in  the  bottom  of  the  oven. 

Then  she  prepared  one  more  sheet,  after  taking  the 
first  from  the  oven.  These  she  left  on  the  pan  to  cool 
a  few  minutes  before  touching  them ;  then  she  lifted 
the  paper  from  it,  replaced  it  by  a  fresh  one,  and  did  not 
attempt  to  take  the  macaroons  from  the  paper  till  they 
were  nearly  cold.  She  handled  them  after  they  were 
baked,  and  until  cold,  as  if  they  were  egg  shells. 

Marta,  who  had  now  finished  her  morning's  work,  was 
told  to  put  on  the  bouillon. 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  227 

"  You  must  take  the  largest  pot,  Marta ;  that  shin 
weighs  eiglit  pounds.  It  is  cut  in  three,  but  gash  it 
well,  take  out  the  marrow,  and  put  on  eight  quarts  of 
cold  water ;  when  it  is  near  the  boiling-point,  skim  it,  — 
take  care  the  scum  does  not  break.  After  it  is  off,  throw 
in  a  wine-glass  of  cold  water  and  wait ;  when  it  is  once 
again  near  boiling,  skim  again ;  repeat  the  cold  water 
and  skimming  twice,  then  leave  it  to  boil  four  hours 
very  slowly." 

When  separating  the  yolks  of  eggs  from  the  whites, 
for  the.  macaroons,  they  had  been  at  once  beaten  with 
a  tea-spoonful  of  cold  water  to  prevent  hardening,  — 
which  they  are  apt  to  do  when  waiting  even  a  very 
short  time,  if  not  beaten, —  and  set  aside  for  jumbles, 
which  Molly  made  while  Mrs.  Welles  made  the  Genoese 
pastry.  She  used  for  them  six  ounces  of  butter,  six 
ounces  of  sugar,  and  half  a  pound  of  flour,  with  the 
yolks  of  the  three  eggs.  The  butter  was  beaten  to  a 
cream  and  then  the  sugar  and  eggs  added,  the  flour  sifted 
in,  a  table-spoonful  of  wine  put  in,  and  when  all  was 
well  mixed  a  few  drops  of  extract  of  rose  was  added, 
Molly  tasting  the  paste  to  judge  the  quantity.  It  needed 
to  be  perceptible,  as  it  goes  off  in  baking.  Then  she 
rolled  it  into  little  balls  about  the  size  of  a  hickory  nut, 
and  on  some  stuck  half  a  blanched  almond,  on  others  a 
little  bit  of  green  citron,  and  on  others  a  strip  of  candied 
lemon  peel. 

Rolling  them  thus  was  much  less  trouble  than  cut- 
ting them  into  rings  and  shaping  them  in  sugar,  and 
quite  as  sightly,  for  the  balls  melt  down  in  the  oven  into 
round  cakes.  They  require  a  moderate  oven ;  if  too 
slow  they  melt  too  much,  if  too  quick  they  burn  before 
they  are  done. 

To  keep  the  oven  just  right  this  morning  when  a 
steady,  moderate  heat  was  required,  Molly  attended  to 
the  fire  herself.  Having  seen  that  it  was  solid  at  first, 
she  kept  it  so  by  adding  a  very  few  coals  before  it  had 
shown  any  signs  of  going  down.  As  soon  as  the  jum- 
bles were  firm  and  the  bright  yellow  had  changed  to  the 


228  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

palest  pine  color,  they  were  taken  out,  without  waiting 
for  them  to  brown  at  all. 

The  Genoese  pastry  was  now  done  ;  it  looked  like  a 
thick  jelly-cake,  and  when  cool  was  to  be  cut  and  jelly 
laid  between  it  sandwich-fashion,  and  some  pieces  iced 
plain. 

When  the  macaroons  were  taken  off  the  papers,  there 
were  found  to  be  between  seventy  and  eighty,  but  as  in 
two  pans  there  were  two  or  three  that  had  sunken  some- 
what and  were  less  handsome  than  the  rest,  those  were 
laid  aside.  There  were  also  nearly  four  dozen  jumbles, 
and  there  would  be  about  three  dozen  tablettes  from  the 
Genoese  pastry. 

It  was  getting  near  luncheon  time  and  they  were  both 
rather  tired  ;  therefore  they  gave  up  till  after  they  had 
eaten  and  rested. 

"  I  hope,  Molly,  you  take  care  of  yourself  in  this 
way,"  said  her  friend  as  they  sat  down  to  a  comfortable 
lunch.  "''  I  remember  how  you  used  to  horrify  me  in  Lon- 
don by  going  without  food  for  hours,  or  only  eating  cake 
or  pastry,  if  you  had  anything  on  hand  to  interest  you.'* 

"  Yes,  nowadays  I  do,  whether  I  feel  hungry  or  not : 
I  sit  down  and  force  myself  to  eat,  and  I  do  it  leis- 
urely also,  for  if  I  finish  eating  in  ten  minutes  I  take 
a  book  or  newspaper  and  spend  the  full  hour  resting, 
then  I  go  to  work  fresh  again  ;  although  I  confess  I 
do  it  often  in  spite  of  my  nerves,  which  urge  me  to  fin- 
ish. But  I  do  it,  and  I  know  that  eating  nothing  at  all 
or  a  mere  snack  in  a  hurry,  at  noon,  and  then  keeping 
on  with  the  sewing,  or  preserving,  or  shopping,  is  what 
wears  out  half  us  American  women.  I  used  to  get  tired 
and  faint  about  three  o'clock,  after  doing  very  little, 
and  was  almost  ashamed  that  I,  a  healthy  young  girl, 
should  do  so  when  I  saw  elderly  women  keep  on  from 
morning  till  night.  You  and  your  mother  first  awakened 
me  to  tlie  fact  that  it  was  lack  of  food.  My  own  dear 
mother  had  been  like  mj^self  all  her  life,  neglecting  her 
noon  meal,  simply  because  she  never  felt  hungry.  JSow 
1  get  a  meal  of  some  substantial  kind,  and  1  make  Marta 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  229 

do  the  same,  for  she  also  is  inclined  to  take  a  standing 
lunch,  —  just  a  bit  of  bread  and  cheese/ she  likes  best." 

"Well,  I  don't  believe  people  can  work  well  if  they 
do  not  eat  sensibly.  I  can  eat  three  meals  comfortably, 
but  I  agree  with  Dr.  Richardson  :  we  could  do  without 
both  the  others  better  than  the  mid-day  meal.  1  suppose 
if  you  and  I  had  kept  on  for  a  couple  of  hours  longer  we 
should  have  been  a  pair  of  wilted  beings." 

"  Yes,  there  is  nothing  like  leaving  off  and  resting 
before  one  is  really  tired,  if  one  wants  to  get  through  a 
great  deal  without  feeling  it ;  but  it  is  a  very  difficult 
thing  to  do." 

"  I  know  it ;  especially  difficult  to  those  who  need  it 
most,  —  the  nervous,  energetic  women ;  to  the  phleg- 
matic ones  it  comes  easy  enough,  and  they  seldom  over- 
work." 

"  I  have  eaten  the  last  of  your  '  weal  and  hammer,' 
my  dear,  and  I  agree  with  Silas  Wegg :  '  it  mellars  the 
organ,' — and  now  I  am  ready  for  work.  The  next 
thing  is  to  ice  those  cakes,  I  suppose,  and  I  will  put  on 
the  sugar  to  boil." 

"  No,  I  have  French  icing  ready,  but  I  forgot  until 
this  minute  to  make  some  coloring ;  I  bought  the  cochi- 
neal yesterday." 

"  Well,  there's  plenty  of  time ;  it  will  only  take  a  few 
minutes  ;  I  '11  put  it  to  boil  and  we  will  both  get  the 
Genoese  cakes  ready  while  it  does  so." 

Molly  handed  to  her  a  packet  containing  an  ounce  of 
cochineal  and  one  of  cream  of  tartar,  mixed;  this  was 
put  to  boil  in  half  a  pint  of  water,  and  was  to  reduce  to 
half.  While  this  was  going  on  Molly  got  out  some 
raspberry  jam  and  the  lemon  paste  she  had  made. 

*'  I  wonder  what  I  should  have  done  if  these  good 
things  had  not  come  so  apropos!" — alluding  to  her 
mother-in-law's  gift. 

"  Done,  my  dear  ?  You  would  not  have  felt  the  lack 
of  them  ;  you  would  just  have  made  your  jumbles  and 
some  cocoanut  macaroons  and  cones  ;  made  some  sponge 
drop-cakes,  which  you  would  have  iced,  and  would  have 


230  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

forgotten  to  wish  even  that  you  had  not  the  other 
things  ;   I  know  you,  Molly." 

Molly  laughed.  "  To  tell  the  truth,  I  had  thought  the 
matter  over,  and  decided  to  make  some  orange  paste,  for 
which  I  have  a  very  old  recipe,  and  as  two  oranges  are 
enough,  it  would  not  have  been  very  costly." 

*'  Before  I  go  away  I  want  to  try  it,  if  oranges  are  to 
be  got  yet,  out  here." 

"  I  saw  a  few  pale  things,  but  Harry  can  bring  some 
early  Floridas." 

As  they  talked  they  worked.  The  bread-board  was 
put  between  them,  and  the  Genoese  cake  was  split  care- 
fully into  four  even  layers.  The  rounded  sides  were 
trimmed  off  wide  enough  to  cut  into  odd-shaped  pieces 
to  be  dipped  into  icing. 

The  cochineal  had  now  boiled  fast  about  ten  minutes 
uncovered,  and  by  the  rim  round  the  little  saucepan 
showed  it  had  diminished  to  one-half. 

''  Now  if  one  can  avoid  getting  one's  fingers  in  it, 
and  looking  like  an  executioner  for  a  day  or  two,  it  will 
be  very  nice ;  where 's  the  alum,  Molly  ?  " 

Molly  handed  the  tiny  packet  containing  two  drachms 
of  alum  to  Mrs.  Welles.  It  was  put  into  the  cochineal, 
stirred,  and  then  a  small  strainer  was  put  on  a  cup,  a 
piece  of  muslin  laid  in  it,  and  the  coloring  poured 
through  it ;  then  the  ends  of  the  muslin  were  gathered 
together  and  the  sediment  gently  pressed  with  a  spoon 
and  then  thrown  away. 

Molly,  meanwhile,  had  been  spreading  one  of  the 
layers  of  cake  with  the  lemon  paste,  very  thinly,  and 
laid  another*  on  top  of  it,  —  this  was  one  cake  ;  the  other 
layer  was  spread  with  raspberry  jam,  and  on  that  also 
a  slice  was  laid.  I  have  said  that  the  rounded  sides 
were  cut  off,  leaving  the  centre  square.  These  sides 
were  cut  into  three-cornered  pieces ;  there  were,  conse- 
quently, a  number  of  these  corner  pieces,  and  two 
square  cakes,  —  one  with  raspberry  jam,  one  with 
lemon.  Molly  had  brought  out  the  French  or  fondant 
icing,  the  vanilla  flavoring,  the  bitter  almond,  and  the 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  231 

caramel  coloring.  She  divided  the  icing,  putting  one 
part  into  a  small  bowl  which  she  set  in  a  saucepan  of 
boiling  water,  stirring  it  till  it  was  creamy.  Mrs.  Welles 
had  laid  a  sheet  of  confectioner's  paper  on  the  board, 
and  when  the  icing  was  melted,  Molly  brought  it  to  the 
table  and  put  to  it  a  very  small  half  tea-spoonful  of  va- 
nilla, and  stirred  it;  then  she  dipped  a  table-spoon  in  the 
boiling  water,  shook  the  water  from  it  and  then  took  it 
full  of  the  icing  from  the  bowl  and  poured  it  on  the 
layers  of  cake  containing  the  lemon,  and  spread  it,  using 
more  icing  as  she  needed  it,  smoothing  it  with  a  knife 
dipped  into  boiling  water  and  shaken. 

When  it  was  done,  Mrs.  AVeiles  warmed  a  knife  and 
cut  the  cake  into  neat  tablettes  an  inch  wide  and  two 
inches  long,  while  Molly  put  the  same  icing  over  the 
fire,  stirred  it  slowly  till  the  water  under  it  was  boil- 
ing, and  the  icing  creamy.  She  took  it  to  the  table, 
colored  it  a  beautiful  creamy  coffee  color  with  a  few 
drops  of  caramel,  and  then  dropped  the  corner  pieces, 
one  by  one,  as  fast  as  she  could,  into  it,  taking  them  out 
as  soon  as  they  were  covered,  and  laying  them  on  the 
waxed  paper  with  a  fork.  Before  half  were  done  the  icing 
got  stiff,  and  she  had  to  put  it  on  the  fire  once  more ; 
and  this  time,  as  each  heating  up  made  the  icing  a  degree 
higher  candy,  she  put  in  a  few  drops  of  water  from  the 
end  of  a  spoon,  —  a  dozen  drops  perhaps  in  all,  —  then 
the  icing  became  creamy  again.  She  finished  dipping 
the  cakes,  all  but  three  or  four,  for  which  the  icing  fell 
short.  Now  the  other  portion  of  icing  was  put  in  a 
bowl,  melted  to  cream  in  boiling  water,  a  few  drops 
of  cochineal  added  to  it,  and  a  few  drops  (very  few)  of 
almond  flavoring.  The  cochineal  made  it  a  beautiful 
pale  pink.  This  was  laid  on  the  tablette  of  cake  in  which 
was  raspberry  jam,  in  the  same  way  as  the  white,  and  it 
also  was  cut  into  tablettes  while  Molly  dipped  the  rest 
of  her  three-cornered  pieces  of  cake  into  the  pink  icing. 

There  was  now  a  plate  of  pink,  almond-iced  tablettes 
with  raspberry  jam  ;  one  of  white,  vanilla-iced  tablettes 
with  lemon  filling,  and  on  the  sheet  of  waxed  paper  lay 


232  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

several  that  looked  like  large,  oblong,  French  candies, 
pink  uiid  pale  coffee-colored, —  being  completely  covered 
vviih  icing,   no  one  could  tell  they  were  cake. 

"  Now  the  cakes  are  all  made,  are  they  not?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Welles. 

"  Yes ;  but  I  'm  sadly  afraid  peo[)le  will  think  they 
have  cost  much  more  than  is  usually  spent  at  these 
meetings ;  but  I  know  they  have  not.  Mrs.  Framley 
had  sponge  cake  only,  yet  the  eggs  alone  for  the  five 
loaves  she  made  would  cost  more  than  these  cakes." 

"  Well,  it  can't  be  helped,"  said  Mrs.  Welles. 

"  No,"  laughed  Molly  ;"  I  meant  only  to  have  the 
iced  jelly  cakes,  and  tiiough  Genoese  is  so  delicious  I 
don  't  know  that  that  difference  will  be  understood,  but 
your  bringing  tlie  almond  paste  tern{)ted  me  into  the 
macaroons,  and  then  to  make  use  of  the  yolks ;  of  course 
they  led  to  the  jumbles." 

"  Yes,  but  they  would  pass;  it  is  the  '  Frenchy  '  look 
of  the  iced  cakes  that  will  seem  costly,  but  you  can  tell 
your  friends  what  the  cost  really  is." 

"I  know,  only  I  hate  to  seem  to  lay  myself  out;  yet 
when  things  can  be  made  so  pretty  one  can't  resist  do- 
ing it." 

"  You  can't,  because  you  love  the  work  as  others  love 
Kensington  stitch  and  can't  resist  adding  to  the  beauty 
of  their  surroundings  in  that  way.  You  and  I  resist 
that  temptation  very  well,  but  this  makes  one  under- 
stand it.  All  work  is  pleasure  if  you  love  it  and  know 
how  to  do  it." 

"  Now  I  '11  see  the  dinner  on  and  we  '11  adjourn  and 
leave  Marta  in  possession,"  said  Molly. 

Molly  looked  at  the  bouillon^  which  had  been  simmer- 
ing four  hours  ;  and  Marta  asked  if  she  should  put  in 
the  vegetables. 

"  No  ;  til  is  is  to  be  extra  strong,  in  fact  consomme,  — 
which  means  bouillon  very  much  reduced,  —  so  this  can 
simmer  two  hours  more ;  then  strain  the  meat  from  it, 
and  to-morrow  you  can  take  off  all  fat ;  and  then  put  to 
it  two  carrots    cut   up  small,  two  turnips,  two  onions, 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  233 

and  let  them  boil  in  it  two  hours;  this  will  reduce  it 
enouffh  ;  then  it  can  be  strained  and  cleared." 

Molly  liad  arrani(ed  to  have  for  dinner  just  such 
things  as  Marta  could  cook,  but  the  substantial  part  of 
it  was  to  be  Irish  stew,  that  good  old  savory  dish.  Ex- 
cellent as  it  is  when  well  made,  there  is  nothing  more 
••  poverty  seeming"  than  the  same  thing  carelessly  done  ; 
therefore  she  meant  to  see  it  all  on  to  cook  before  leav- 
ing the  kitchen. 

Irish  Stew. —  Half  a  dozen  lean  chops  from  the 
neck  were  floured  and  put  in  a  saucepan  with  two  onions 
and  a  tea-spoonful  of  butter,  and  quickly  browned ;  but 
the  onion  was  not  allowed  to  burn,  and  therefore  it  was 
all  kept  moving  about.  A  pint  of  cold  water  was  then 
put  to  it,  and  the  fat  that  this  brought  to  the  surface 
skimmed  off  and  a  tea-spoonful  of  salt  and  one  third 
of  a  tea-spoonful  of  pepper  added.  It  was  put  where 
it  would  simmer  very  gently  for  an  hour  and  a  half, 
when  it  was  to  be  again  skimmed,  and  a  tea-spoorjful  of 
Worcestershire  sauce  put  to  it ;  the  gravy  tasted  to  see  if 
salt  enough,  and  half  a  dozen  large  potatoes  (or  more 
if  small)  cut  in  half  ;  then  it  was  to  be  closely  covered 
and  was  to  simmer  for  another  hour.  Molly  cautioned 
J\Iarta  against  adding  more  water. 

"  When  you  put  the  potatoes  in,  never  mind  if  the 
gravy  does  not  cover  them  ;  they  are  to  stew  over  the 
meat ;  sufficient  good  gravy  to  serve  is  all  that  is  neces- 
sary, if  you  cover  the  potatoes  with  liquid  as  often  is 
done,  you  get  a  good  deal  of  broth,  but  no  gravy." 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

TO    BOIL  AND    PREPARE    LOBSTER SANDWICHES 

CLEARING    SOUP OMELET    SOUFFLE. 

The  next  morning  the  lobster  which  Molly  had  or- 
dered was  sent ;  it  was  quite  a  large  one,  and  it  was  put 
on  head  downward  into  boiling  water  in  which  there 
were  four  table-spoonfuls  of  salt  to  the  gallon.  Marta 
was  told  to  let  it  boil  gently  half  an  hour,  then  to  take 
it  out,  as  if  it  boils  too  lons^  the  meat  becomes  tousfh  and 
stringy  ;  but,  although  Marta  had  that  order  and  Molly 
left  the  kitchen  to  go  through  her  usual  morning  duties 
up-stairs,  Mrs.  Welles  noticed  that  when  the  half  hour 
was  up  Molly  herself  went  to  see  that  Marta  had  not 
forgotten. 

"  My  dear  Molly,  a  Marta  would  be  the  death  of  me, 
or  I  of  her,  if  I  had  one." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  She  requires  such  endless  looking  after.  Why  don't 
you  get  a  more  experienced  girl  ?  " 

"  Because  perhaps  the  experienced  girl  would  be  the 
*  death  of  me.'  I  mean  it  is  unlikely  the  experience 
would  exactly  fit  my  needs,  and  if  it  did  not,  it  would  be 
in  the  way  of  her  learning  my  ways." 

"  Does  Marta  learn  ?  " 

"  Indeed  she  does  —  slowly  ;  but  remember,  she  is  so 
newly  arrived." 

"  Oh,  it  is  not  her  accomplishments  I  disparage,  but 
that  you  cannat  trust  her  to  carry  out  such  a  simple  or- 
der as  to  take  a  thing  out  of  water  at  a  certain  time. 
What  made  you  give  the  order  if  you  did  not  expect  to 
have  it  remembered  ?  " 

"  Moral  effect,  I  suppose,"  laughed  Molly.    "  I  always 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  235 

pretend  to  leave  things  to  Marta,  but  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  it  was  the  very  simplicity  of  this  thing  that  made 
me  careful ;  Marta  is  impressed,  I  find,  with  large  ap- 
pearances ;  if  I  tell  her  to  do  something  that  is  to  have 
some  very  choice  result,  although  I  expect  her  to  blun- 
der, she  generally  surprises  me  by  carrying  out  the  or- 
der well,  because  she  is  impressed,  and  all  her  attention 
on  the  alert.  She  can  do  three  or  four  things  now  she 
is  proud  of ;  one  is  frying,  because  she  has  completely 
mastered  the  art,  and  the  results  are  so  showy ;  then  she 
has  lived  in  Germany  as  scullion,  where  she  has  heard 
fine  cooking  spoken  of  with  respect,  and  knows  it  is 
worth  doing  well.  The  difficulty  lies  generally  in  the 
fact  that  half  our  servants  don't  know  that  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  standard  cooking ;  anything  beyond  their  ken 
is  '  new-fangled,'  and  is  a  mystery  not  worth  knowing." 

"  "Well,  well,  I  admire  your  patience ;  I  never  could 
emulate  it." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  would,  if  it  were  only  necessary ;  but 
with  you  it  is  not ;  you  have  several  servants,  and  can 
import  your  cooks  specially  trained." 

"  Molly,  I  could  do  without  servants  easily ;  I  would, 
rather  than  watch  and  follow  as  you  do  Marta." 

"  We  '11  talk  over  this  another  time.  I  'm  sure  you 
would  not,  for  long,  like  to  do  without  a  pair  of  willing, 
if  clumsy  hands;  a  dirty  servant,  I  grant,  you  are  better 
without,  —  but  I  must  go  down." 

-'  And  I  too.     What  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  Make  mayonnaise  for  the  sandwiches. 

"  Put  on  the  soup,  Marta,  and  the  vegetables  in  it  as 
I  told  you  yesterday." 

Tiie  lobster  was  now  cool,  and  Molly  began  to  pre- 
pare it.  She  took  off  the  claws,  split  it  down  the  back, 
then  called  Marta  to  watch  as  she  removed  the  entrail 
that  runs  tliroucrh  the  tail.  "  In  the  head  is  found  a 
small  bladder  or  bag  which  must  be  taken  out ;  it  is 
sometimes  called  the  '  lady ; '  and  along  each  side,  under 
the  shell,  will  be  found  bits  of  a  drab-colored  spongy 
substance  called  the  '  lady's  fingers ; '  they  are  at  the 


236  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

root  of  the  small  claws ;  when  these  are  removed,  all 
the  rest  of  the  lobster  is  good.  This  soft,  greenish  fat 
might  seem  to  you  should  be  thrown  away,  but  it  is, 
many  think,  the  best  part  of  the  lobster." 

The  claws  were  then  cracked  and  the  meat  taken  out. 
Molly  then  made  a  pint  of  white  sauce  and  divided  it 
into  two  parts.  Into  one  she  put  the  meat  of  the  lobster 
chopped  fine,  and  seasoned  it  very  highly  with  pepper 
and  salt,  and  enough  lemon  juice  to  give  a  perceptible 
acid  or  piquant  taste,  and  two  tea-spoonfuls  of  very 
finely  chopped  pickled  cucumber. 

To  the  other  sauce  she  stirred  the  contents  of  a  box 
of  chicken  also  chopped  fine,  and  a  large  table-spoonful 
of  the  mayonnaise,  which  was  made  rather  more  tart 
tiian  usual,  and  this  also  was  seasoned  highly  and  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  capers  stirred  through  it.  Both  the  lobster 
and  chicken  were  put  away  till  time  to  cut  sandwiches. 

The  dinner  was  to  be  oysters  on  the  half  shell  and 
stewed  steak,  as  being  easy  and  British. 

The  recipe  was  given  to  Marta,  who,  with  a  little 
looking  after,  could  prepare  it.     It  was  as  follows  :  — 

Put  a  table-spoonful  of  butter  in  a  stew-pan  ;  when 
hot  lay  in  a  pound  and  a  half  of  the  tender  side  of  round 
steak  floured,  having  removed  nearly  all  fat.  Let  it 
quickly  brown  with  one  onion,  cut  in  slices  ;  then  put  to 
it  a  pint  of  boiling  water.  Draw  it  to  the  side  of  the 
fire,  where  it  will  just  simmer  for  two  hours  and  a  half ; 
then  take  the  meat  up  on  a  hot  dish,  and  skim  the  gravy 
clear  of  fat ;  stir  into  it  a  dessert-spoonful  of  brown 
thickening  (see  recipe.  Chapter  XIII.),  and  a  half  can 
of  mushrooms,  with  the  liquor.  Let  this  boil  fast  till 
there  is  about  half  a  pint ;  season  with  pepper  and  salt, 
take  off  the  little  skin  of  grease  that  fast  boiling  has 
sent  to  the' surface,  draw  it  back  from  the  fire,  and  lay 
the  steak  in  again  ;  let  it  all  just  keep  at  the  hoiling- 
pointy  not  boil,  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

Ilarry  was  to  come  home  at  five  to  get  dinner  over, 
and  by  way  of  a  sweet  dish  they  were  to  have  omelette 
souffle,  or  as    Harry  called    it,  hot   ice  cream ;    it  was 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  237 

quickly  made  and  required  no  sauce.  After  luncheon, 
as  tliere  was  nothincj  more  to  be  done  till  the  consomme 
was  ready  to  clear,  Molly  and  her  friend  went  out  to 
walk.  At  half  a  mile  distance  there  was  a  spot  where 
Molly  had  remarked  the  lovely  ferns  and  moss ;  they 
took  a  basket  to  bring  some  home  to  dress  the  rooms, 
and  as  there  were  few  flowers,  they  gathered  the  white 
plumes  of  the  wild  carrot. 

"  I  think  we  will  resist  the  golden-rod,  graceful  as  it 
is ;  every  room  in  Greenfield  has  a  bunch  of  it,  no 
doubt." 

When  in  the  house  two  ginger-jars  were  filled  with 
the  ferns  and  tall  white  blossoms  ;  from  one,  long  sprays 
of  honeysuckle  from  their  own  piazza  were  trailing, 
and  this  was  put  on  the  little  stand  in  the  hall.  The 
other  jar  was  put  in  the  fireplace  in  the  parlor.  About 
the  rooms  tufts  of  bright  red  geraniums  were  set  in 
specimen  glasses. 

"  I  think  that  looks  quite  festive,"  said  Mrs.  Welles, 
surveying  the  effect.  "  Will  you  have  autumn  leaves 
for  the  buffet  ?  " 

"I  confess  I  don't  like  them  in  rooms,  beautiful  as 
they  are  on  trees  ;  I  thought  of  filling  those  tall  jars 
with  these  ferns  and  putting  single  sprays  of  them  in 
tall  champagne  glasses  between  the  dishes  of  sand- 
wiches." 

"  That  will  be  prettier." 

Molly  had  decided,  as  Marta  would  be  a  shy  and  pos- 
sibly awkward  waitress,  to  have  everything  except  soup 
and  coffee  arranged  prettily  on  the  sideboard,  and  every 
gentleman  could  help  himself  and  a  lady.  The  coffee 
and  consomme  would  be  sent  round,  and  a  small  table 
had  a  tea-equipage  arranged  on  it.  Mrs.  Welles  would 
steer  Marta  to  safety,  when  she  should  start  with  the 
waiter.  It  was  a  matter  for  discussion  whether  Marta 
should  be  called  upon  at  all,  and  she  was  admitted  to 
service  simply  as  a  pleasure  to  herself  ;  Molly  knew  she 
would  be  greatly  disappointed  if  she  were  not  allowed  to 
take  some  active  part  in  the  proceedings. 


238  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  You  are  a  curious  girl,  MoHy,"  Mrs.  Welles  had 
said  when  she  heard  Molly's  reason.  "  It  would  not 
have  occurred  to  me." 

"  Nor  to  me,  perhaps,  if  I  had  not  remembered  that 
this  girl  has  no  acquaintances  about  here,  and  to  the 
festive  German  nature  to  sit  in  a  quiet  kitchen,  and 
hear  voices  and  laughter,  must  be  infinitely  more  dull 
than  making  herself  useful  and  seeing  the  faces  of  those 
who  laugh  and  talk.  I  can  see  she  is  quite  excited  by 
the  thought  of  numbers  of  people." 

The  sideboard  was  moved  into  the  pantry  off  the  din- 
ing-room ;  two  Albert  biscuit  boxes  were  put,  one  at 
each  end  of  it,  a  small  board  (one  of  a  set  of  hanging 
book-shelves  removed  for  the  occasion)  was  placed  on 
them  and  then  covered  with  a  fine  white  napkin ;  at 
each  end  a  vase  of  ferns,  and  along  it,  disposed  so  that 
the. colors  would  show  to  best  advantage,  were  the  iced 
cakes  and  macaroons.  On  the  sideboard  itself  another 
long  white  napkin  was  laid,  and  here  were  to  be  the 
dishes  of  sandwiches  ;  the  arrangement  of  this  before- 
hand freed  Molly  from  anxiety,  and  wlien  the  door  of 
the  pantry  was  closed  it  was  not  seen  ;  yet  with  it  open 
the  sideboard  was  so  placed  that  it  and  nothing  else  was 
visible  from  the  room.  A  bracket  lamp  was  to  be  fas- 
tened so  as  to  light  it  up  as  much  as  the  interior  of  the 
dining-room.  When  the  arrangements  were  all  made, 
Mrs.  Welles  and  Molly  repaired  to  the  kitchen.  The 
dinner  was  quietly  cooking  and  Marta  had  just  got 
through  her  work. 

*'  I  will  clear  the  soup  first,  because  I  want  you  to 
see  it,  Marta."  Molly  took  the  two  whites  of  eggs  and 
their  shells  left  from  the  mayonnaise  and  two  more  ; 
then  she  beat  up  shells  and  all  to  a  froth,  mixed  a  small 
cup  of  the  cold  soup  with  them,  and  poured  the  whole 
into  the  soup,  beating  all  the  while  till  it  was  at  boil- 
ing-point again  ;  then  she  drew  it  back  from  the  fire 
and  left  it  ten  minutes.  While  it  settled,  she  put  a 
large  mixing-bowl  on  the  table,  and  a  colander  in  that ; 
then  an  old   napkin,  that  she  had  dipped  into  boiling 


TEX  DOLLARS  ENOUGH,  239 

water  and  wrung  out,  was  laid  over  the  colander.  In 
ten  minutes  the  egg  was  hanging  in  the  soup  like  white 
curds  and  the  soup  itself  looked  quite  clear. 

It  was  poured  through  the  cloth  and  allowed  to  drip. 
Molly  lifted  the  colander,  and  when  the  soup  had  run 
through  removed  it  icithout  squeezing.  The  soup  lay  in 
the  bowl  like  clear  weak  tea.  Molly  added  a  few  drops 
of  caramel  (see  Chapter  XIII.),  and  then  tasted  it  for 
seasoning.  The  caramel  only  made  it  a  shade  darker 
than  it  was,  just  a  briglit  straw  color.  The  boiling  with 
the  vegetables  had  reduced  it  to  about  five  quarts.  In- 
tending it  to  be  so  reduced  had  caused  Molly  to  omit 
part  of  the  salt ;  if  salted  for  eight  quarts  and  reduced  to 
five  it  would  be  too  salt  to  use,  as  salt  neve}"  evaporates. 

The  soup  was  now  put  into  a  marbleized  preserving- 
pan,  which  would  give  no  more  taste  than  a  china 
bowl,  and  be  ready  to  boil  up  when  required. 

Mrs.  Welles  had,  meanwhile,  been  cutting  sandwiches, 
and  already  had  quite  a  pile  of  thin  slices  of  bread, 
which  Molly  now  spread  thinly  with  mayonnaise.  When 
two  loaves  were  cut  up,  Mrs.  Welles  put  a  thin  layer  of 
the  chicken  mixture  on  some  of  the  slices  Molly  had 
spread  with  mayonnaise  ;  then  put  another  slice  over  it, 
and  when  a  good  many  were  done,  the  crust  was  cut  off 
all  round  and  each  slice  cut  from  corner  to  corner,  thus 
making  four  little  three-cornered  sandwiches.  When 
there  were  enough  of  these  done,  they  treated  the  lob- 
ster in  the  same  way,  and  when  all  were  cut  and  ar- 
ranged on  dishes  a  damp  cloth  was  laid  over  them,  and 
they  were  put  in  a  cool  place  till  just  before  they  were 
needed.  Everything  was  now  ready.  Mrs.  Winfield's 
reserve  cups  and  saucers  had  all  been  got  out  and 
dusted;  Mrs.  Lennox  had  sent  over  a  dozen.  These 
were  put  in  readiness,  with  piles  of  small  plates,  nap- 
kins, etc.,  on  a  large  tray  to  be  brought  in  and  placed 
by  the  sideboard  when  the  time  came. 

Omelet  Souffle.  —  Molly  beat  four  whites  of  eggs 
till  they  would  not  slip  from  the  bowl,  just  before  din- 
ner, and  then  the  yolks  of  two  she  beat  four  minutes 


240  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

with  three  table-spoonfuls  of  powdered  sugar  and  one 
tea-spooiiful  of  vanilla  extract. 

When  Marta  was  ready  to  put  the  dinner  on  the  table, 
Molly  turned  the  whites  of  the  eggs  on  the  yolks,  and 
mixed  them  very  gently,  lijting  the  yolks  as  it  were  over 
the  whites  with  the  spoon,  not  stirring  them  ;  any  quick 
movement  with  whites  of  eggs  tends  to  liquefy  them ; 
then  she  buttered  an  oval  dish  and  heaped  the  mixture 
lightly  on  it,  a  table-spoonful  at  a  time,  piling  always 
towards  the  middle ;  then  she  sifted  powdered  sugar 
over  it,  and  just  before  she  went  in  to  dinner  she  put  it 
in  the  oven,  which  was  moderately  hot. 

"  It  will  take  about  ten  minutes  to  get  a  golden 
brown,  Marta,  and  when  you  look  at  it  be  careful  not  to 
fully  open  the  door,  for  the  least  draught  may  cause  it 
to  fall  ;  and  when  it  is  nicely  brown  bring  it  in  without 
waiting  for  anything.     1  will  have  the  table  ready  for 

you." 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

GATEAU     DE     RIZ  FRP:NCH    RICE    CAKE PREPARING 

calf's  head MOCK-TURTLE    SOUP MORE 

NOODLES PIGEON  PIE. 

Of  course  Molly's  supper  was  a  success,  and  of  course 
there  were  many  who  thought  it  must  have  cost  a  great 
deal  more  than  the  amount  usually  expended ;  but  when 
there  was  a  comparison  of  expenses  there  was  nothing 
to  be  said,  for  Molly  was  well  within  the  lowest,  and 
then  every  one  wanted  to  know  how  it  was  done,  and  es- 
pecially how  the  sandwiches  were  made,  such  a  pleasant 
change  were  they  from  the  usual  thing,  good  as  it  is. 
Molly  was  not  experienced  in  quantities  needed,  and  had 
feared  something  might  fall  short,  but  there  were  both 
consomme  and  cakes  left. 

"  Shall  we  have  to  live  on  '  stale  party  '  the  rest  of 
the  week,  Molly  ?  "  Harry  had  asked. 

"  You  '11  have  '  stale  party  '  soup  a  couple  of  times,  but 
no  other  reminiscence  shall  be  served  up." 

And  to  give  Marta  an  opportunity  of  showing  h6r  way 
of  making  noodles  to  Mrs.  Welles,  Molly  decided  to  have 
noodle  soup  and  roast  beef  for  dinner. 

They  all  three  set  to  work  to  remove  the  traces  of  the 
night  before.  While  Marta  swept,  Molly  and  her  friend 
washed  up  dishes  and  returned  them  to  their  places. 
When  all  was  done,  Molly  said,  "  What  can  I  make  with 
the  spare  yolks  of  eggs  from  yesterday  ?  " 

"  How  many  are  there  ?  " 

"  Four,  —  two  from  the  omelette  souffle  and  two 
from  clearing  the  soup." 

"  Then  make  a  French  rice  cake  for  dinner." 

"  You  make  it,  for  I  don't  know  how.  And  now  you 
16 


242  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

are  here,  I  want  to  cook  a  calf shead.  You  are  fond  of 
it,  I  know,  and  one  is^  too  eqiicU  for  us  alone;  besides, 
there  are  so  many  English  ways  of  cooking  it.  I  only 
know  one." 

"  Get  the  head,  and  I  will  show  you  half  a  dozen  dishes 
from  it.     Do  you  want  mock-turtle  soup?" 

"  Yes,  I  think  so." 

"  Then  we  will  use  half  for  that  purpose,  and  the  other 
we  will  do  various  things  with." 

Molly  hud  already  ordered  her  butcher  to  get  one  for 
her  one  day  this  week.  He  had  sent  word  it  would 
be  ready  this  morning,  and  she  was  expecting  it. 

Calf's  head,  although  a  fashionable  dish,  either  as 
mock-turtle  or  any  of  the  several  ways  in  which  it  is 
served,  is,  like  some  other  things  with  an  awe-inspiring 
name,  a-very  economical  one,  especially  in  country  places, 
where  calves'  heads  have  few  buyers.  For  this  reason 
Molly  wanted  to  perfect  herself  in  preparing  it.  By  the 
time  Mrs.  Welles  had  put  a  small  cup  of  rice  on  to  boil 
in  a  pint  and  a  half  of  milk,  the  head  came.  She  watched 
the  rice  come  to  the  boil,  then  put  it  where  it  would  sim- 
mer slowly,  and  turned  her  attention  to  the  head.  It 
was  a  very  good  one,  for  Molly  had  said  if  it  were  not 
fat  she  would  not  care  to  have  it.  She  had  also  directed 
it  to  be  split.    He  had  asked  her  if  she  wanted  it  skinned. 

"  No,  indeed  ;  only  scalded  and  the  hair  scraped  off." 

"  I  only  asked,  because  some  folks  like  them  skinned." 

Molly  was  relating  this  to  Mrs.  Welles  and  preparing 
her  to  see  the  head  either  skinned  in  spite  of  her  order, 
or  else  sent  with  the  hair  half  on  when  it  came,  but  it 
was  really  very  well  dressed. 

"  I  'm  going  to  let  you  prepare  it,  Charlotte,  and  look 
on,  for  I  have  only  seem  it  done  once  at  a  cooking-demon- 
stration." 

"  Very  well,  you  attend  to  the  rice,  then,  and  keep  it 
from  burning.  It  must  stew  slowly,  with  the  cover  tight 
on  it,  till  it  will  mash  into  a  paste,  and  more  milk  added 
if  required." 

Mrs.  Welles  laid  the  head  open  on  a  meat-board,  and 


TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH.  243 

then  removed  the  tongue  and  brains,  being  very  careful 
not  to  injure  them.  She  laid  them  in  a  dish  of  water,  in 
which  was  a  small  cup  of  vinegar,  until  they  were  needed 
for  use ;  then  she  took  out  the  membrane  of  the  nasal 
passages  and  washed  the  head  in  salt  and  water.  This 
done,  she  put  the  head  in  a  pot  and  covered  it  with  six 
quarts  of  cold  water.  It  was  to  boil  very  slowly  two 
hours.  Into  the  water  she  put  a  large  carrot,  a  turnip, 
and  an  onion,  with  six  sprigs  of  parsley,  two  bay  leaves, 
half  a  tea-spoonful  of  marjoram  and  the  same  of  thyme 
(these  herbs  were  tied  up  in  a  bit  of  muslin),  and  a 
small  table-spoonful  of  salt,  with  half  a  tea-spoonful  of 
pepper. 

By  the  time  this  was  done  the  rice  was  cooked  thor- 
oughly, and  it  was  as  stiff  as  could  be  stirred  and  turned 
out  into  a  bowl,  when  it  was  sweetened,  a  tinj^  pinch 
of  salt  put  into  it,  a  large  tea-spoonful  of  vanilla  extract, 
and  the  grated  rind  of  a  lemon  ;  and  when  a  little  cool, 
the  beaten  yolks  of  eggs,  and  all  was  stirred  together.  It 
was  now  about  the  consistence  of  stiff  mush.  A  square 
shallow  pan  was  thickly  buttered,  and  strewed  with  bread 
crumbs,  and  the  rice  put  into  it.  The  pan  used  was  a 
small-sized  dripping-pan,  and  the  rice  formed  a  layer 
an  inch  and  a  half  deep.  It  was  made  very  smooth  over 
the  top,  and  then  a  little  butter  was  oiled  and  poured  on 
it ;  the  pan  was  then  so  moved  that  the  butter  ran  over 
the  rice  in  every  direction  ;  sugar  was  then  sifted  all 
over  it  a  quarter  of  an  inch  deep,  and  the  whole  was  put 
in  the  oven  to  bake  till  a  fine  brown. 

"  If  you  want  that  to  be  extra  fine,  Molly,  at  any  time, 
chop  a  cup  of  almonds  quite  fine,  and  strew  them  over 
with  the  sugar.  When  it  is  baked,  let  it  get  cold  in  the 
pan,  then  turn  it  out  and  cut  it  into  strips  or  tablets  an 
inch  broad  and  two  or  three  in  length.  They  should  be 
put  on  a  dish  in  the  ice-box  before  serving,  to  be  ice 
cold." 

When  the  calf's  head  had  been  boiling  very  slowly 
two  hours,  it  was  taken  carefully  from  the  water  and  one 
half  of  it  was  laid  aside  ;  the  other  half  was  to  be  for 


244  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

dinner.  This  was  wiped,  the-  inside  bones  carefully 
taken  out,  and  it  was  closely  scored  through  the  outer 
skin  ;  then  it  was  washed  over  with  a  beaten  eirsr  and 
thickly  covered  with  fine  biead  crumbs,  in  a  cup  of  which 
half  a  tea-spoonful  of  salt,  half  a  salt-spoonful  of  pepper, 
a  tea-spoonful  of  finely-chopped  parsley,  and  the  third  of 
one  of  thyme  or  savory,  had  been  thoroughly  mixed.  This 
was  to  be  basted  with  butter  melted  in  a  cup  until  all 
the  crumbs  were  moistened,  and  then  baked  till  brown. 
If  the  crumbed  surface  looked  dry  in  the  oven,  it  must 
be  again  basted.  This  was  to  be  garnished  with  little 
rolls  of  bacon,  made  by  cutting  thinnest  slices,  trimmed 
from  rind  and  smoke,  rolled  round  the  finger,  and  laid 
on  a  tin  in  a  quick  oven  till  clear  and  crisp,  but  not  over- 
done. 

Mrs.  Welles  got  everything  ready  early,  put  the  half 
head  on  the  dish  ready  to  go  into  the  oven  at  five  o'clock, 
cut  the  bacon,  and  told  Molly  what  the  gravy  was  to  be, 
so  that  she  might  make  it  while  she  herself  went  on  with 
mock -turtle  soup,  which  was  for  next  day's  (Sunday) 
dinner. 

''  You  can  have  almost  any  sauce ;  English  sauce 
piquante  is  very  nice,  or  brown  mushroom  sauce." 

'*  What  is   English  sauce  piquante  ?  " 

"  I  call  it  so,  although  the  old-fashioned  name  for  it  is 
Wow  Wow  sauce." 

'•'  Let 's  try  it,  if  you  like  it. ' 

"  I  do.  This  is  the  recipe  :  Chop  fine  a  dessert-spoon- 
ful of  capers,  the  same  of  parsley,  and  one  large  pickled 
walnut  or  two  small.  Put  a  table-spoonful  of  flour  and 
one  of  butter  to  get  brown  together  in  a  saucepan  ;  put 
to  them,  stirring  all  the  time,  half  a  pint  of  stock  or  the 
broth  you  have  —  that  in  which  the  head  was  boiled 
will  do  ;  when  it  boils,  mix  a  tea-spoonful  of  dry  mus- 
tard with  a  table-spoonful  of  wine,  half  one  of  vinegar, 
and  a  tea-spoonful  of  red  currant  or  cranberry  jelly,  and 
one  of  Worcestershire  sauce.  Let  all  simmer  till  of  a 
creamy  thickness,  season  to  taste,  and  last  add  the  capers 
and  pickles.     It  is  a  convenient  sauce,  because  you  can 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  245 

vary  the  flavor  as  you  like,  putting  pickled  cucumber  in- 
stead of  walnut  or  capers,  any  other  store  sauce  instead 
of  Worcestersliire,  and  cider  in  place  of  wine,  and  if  you 
have  no  jelly,  a  lump  of  sugar.  The  characteristic  of  the 
sauce  is  to  be  a  very  little  sour,  a  very  little  sweet,  and  a 
little  hot,  with  an  agreeable  flavor  beside." 

The  bones  that  had  been  taken  from  the  part  of  the 
head  that  was  to  bake  were  put  back  in  the  pot,  the  meat 
was  cut  from  the  other  half  in  neat  pieces  and  laid  be- 
tween two  dishes  to  keep  it  flat,  and  all  the  liquor  that 
ran  from  it,  with  the  rest  of  the  bones,  was  put  back  to 
boil  with  the  liquor  till  it  was  reduced  to  three  quarts. 

"  Now,  Molly,  as  it  is  impossible  to  tell  how  strong  or 
weak  dried  herbs  are,  and  mock-turtle  is  a  highly  flavored 
soup,  I  am  going  to  adopt  the  plan  of  making  essence  of 
the  herbs  and  use  just  enough." 

So  saying,  she  put  into  a  little  saucepan  two  tea-spoon- 
fuls of  chopped  parsley,  three  quarters  of  one  of  mar- 
joram, three  quarters  of  one  of  savory  and  the  same  of 
lemon  thyme,  and  a  bay  leaf  and  a  half. 

"  Now  I  '11  put  these  to  boil,  closely  covered,  in  half  a 
pint  of  water  for  twenty  minutes,  then  squeeze  out  as 
much  of  the  goodness  as  I  can,  and  add  this  herb  juice 
to  the  soup,  little  by  little,  till  we  get  the  right  flavor." 

As  the  scfftp  was  more  than  sufficient  to  serve  for  two 
dinners,  it  was  decided  to  flavor  it  all,  then  divide  it,  and 
have  one  half  thick  mock-turtle,  the  other  clear.  The 
thick  was  for  Sunday's  dinner,  as  Mr.  Welles,  who  was 
coming  to  dinner,  was  particularly  fond  of  it.  While 
the  soup  was  boiling  down  Mrs.  Welles  prepared  egg 
balls  to  serve  with  it,  Molly  made  some  rough  puff  paste 
(see  Chapter  VI.)  for  pigeon  pie,  and  when  that  was 
done  Marta  was  ready  to  make  noodles. 

The  eofof  balls  were  made  as  follows  :  Two  esrsrs  boiled 
hard,  the  yolks  pounded  with  a  half  tea-spoonful  of  finely 
chopped  parsley,  half  a  salt-spoonful  of  salt,  a  scant 
quarter  one  of  white  pepper,  made  into  stiff  paste  with 
raw  yolk  of  egg^  and  moulded  into  balls  size  of  marbles. 
Each  ball  was  rolled  in  white  of  egg  beaten   a  little  ; 


246  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

when  well  coated  they  were  dipped  in  flour  and  dropped 
into  boiling  water  for  two  minutes.  These  were  part 
to  be  served  in  the  thick  soup  next  day,  the  rest  left 
for  the  clear  mock-turtle. 

Marta  used  one  egg  for  the  noodles,  a  pinch  of  salt, 
and  flour  enough  to  make  part  of  it  into  a  smooth  paste 
about  as  large  as  a  small  egg  ;  this  she  worked  smooth  and 
laid  aside ;  to  the  rest  she  added  more  flour,  and  did  not 
work  into  a  smooth  paste,  but  into  a  rough,  crumbly  sort 
of  ball ;  this,  she  explained,  was  for  the  quickest  made 
and  most  generally  used  noodles,  in  the  part  of  Germany 
she  came  from.  She  took  a  coarse  grater  and  grated 
the  rough  ball  into  coarse  crumbs  that  looked  like  yel- 
low tapioca ;  these  could  be  dried  carefully  in  a  very 
cool  oven,  and  used  whenever  wanted.  Then  she  took 
the  smooth  ball  she  had  made,  and  asked  Molly  whether 
she  would  like  her  to  make  the  ribbon  noodles  as  before 
(see  recipe.  Chapter  XXV.),  or  another  sort. 

"  Oh,  another,  by  all  means  !  " 

She  then  grated  on  the  smooth  ball  of  paste  just  a 
suspicion  of  nutmeg,  put  the  least  bit  of  butter  on  her 
hand,  —  a  bit  as  large  as  a  small  hazel  nut,  — and  rolled 
the  ball  and  worked  it  over  till  the  nutmeg  and  butter 
were  in  it;  then  she  cut  the  paste  into  pieces  as  large  as 
a  hazel  nut,  made  each  into  olive  shapes,  and  they  were 
finished. 

"  Thank  you,  Marta,  we  will  have  those  in  our  soup 
to-night.     I  think  I  remember  eating  them  in  Germany." 

Molly  had  already  prepared  a  pair  of  pigeons.  She 
now  put  on  to  stew  very  slowly,  with  half  a  pint  of 
water,  a  pound  of  juicy  round  steak,  for  the  pigeon  pie, 
which  she  intended  to  make  next  day.  When  the  steak 
had  simmered  an  hour  and  a  half,  it  was  taken  up  and 
put  away.  The  calf's  tongue  was  parboiled,  to  be  used 
on  Monday. 

The  next  morning  Molly  made  the  pie  directly  after 
breakfast.  Laying  the  steak,  cut  into  finger-lengths,  at 
the  bottom  of  a  deep  oval  dish,  the  birds  were  divided 
into  halves,  and  both  steak  and  pigeons  seasoned  highly 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  247 

with  pepper  and  salt.  The  birds  were  laid  over  the 
steak,  placing  them  so  that  the  pie  would  be  dome-sliaped 
when  covered;  tv/o  eggs  were  hard  boiled  and  cut  in 
four  and  the  pieces  laid  among  the  meat ;  then  a  small 
half  cup  of  water  was  poured  in  ;  the  gravy  from  the 
steak  was  left  to  pour  in  hot  when  the  pie  was  cooked. 
The  pie  was  then  finished  in  the  same  way  as  the  veal 
and  ham  pie  (see  recipe  Chapter  XXXII.),  except  that 
the  feet  of  the  two  birds  were  put  in  boiling  water  for  a 
moment,  the  skin  rubbed  off  them,  leaving  them  a  bright 
crimson,  and  a  slit  was  made  at  each  end  of  the  groove 
that  went  round  the  pie,  and  two  of  the  little  feet  put  in 
each,  the  claws  outwards. 

Mrs.  Welles  gave  Marta  the  pieces  of  calf's  head  that 
were  to  go  into  the  soup,  told  her  to  put  them  in  half  an 
hour  before  dinner,  let  them  simmer,  and  just  before 
serving  she  was  to  put  into  the  quart,  which  was  all  that 
was  to  be  made  hot,  a  table-spoonful  of  brown  thickening, 
a  glass  of  wine,  and  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon,  with  half 
the  Qgg  balls.  The  pigeon  pie  would  need  an  hour  to 
bake,  and  was  to  be  kept  in  a  very  cold  place  until 
twelve. 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

ONE     MORE     USE     FOR     SOUP     MEAT STEWED     CALF 'S 

TONGUE BRAINS,    AU    BEURRE    NOIR    (bROWN 

butter)  — calf's  head HOLLANDAISE 

SAUCE calf's  head  EN  TORTUE. 

"  Molly,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  all  that  beef 
from  consomme  V  asked  Mrs.  Welles,  on  the  Monday- 
after  the  reception. 

"  I  have  usually  made  hash  of  it  and  given  it  to  a  family 
who  need  all  the  help  they  can  get ;  but  there  is  so  much, 
I  am  inclined  to  try  an  experiment.  Would  not  part  do 
to  make  an  imitation  of  that  mock  brawn  that  is  so  good 
in  London  ?  What  is  the  recipe  ?  " 

"  That  is  made  with  new  beef  and  pork,  but  if  the  jelly 
can  be  supplied,  it  would  be  very  nice  and  savory  treated 
exactly  as  if  it  were  new  meat." 

''  So  I  thought,  and  I  got  from  the  butcher  the  day  I 
bought  the  beef  two  hocks  of  pork.  It 's  early  for  pork, 
but  he  assured  me  this  was  killed  right  on  a  farm  here, 
and  I  could  see  it  was  really  good,  although  I  must  say  I 
think  November  early  enough,  as  a  rule,  for  pork." 

"  It's  a  little  different  when  you  buy  it  in  that  way. 
What  are  you  going  to  do  with  the  feet,  or  '  hocks '  as 
you  call  them  ?  " 

*'They  have  been  cleaned  and  laid  in  salt;  to-morrow 
they  will  be  salt  enough.  I  think  of  boiling  them  till 
the  bones  slip  out,  cutting  the  flesh  in  small  bits,  an.d  put- 
ting: the  bones  back  into  the  water  and  boiling  till  there 
is  no  more  goodness  in  them  ;  but  as  the  beef  is  over- 
cooked, I  don't  want  the  pork  to  be  so ;  then  strain  the 
liquor,  which  will  be  solid  jelly  when  cold.  I  think  two 
quarts  and  a  pint  of  water  may  be  put  on  the  hocks,  — 


TEN  DaiLARS  ENOUGH.  249 

that  will  leave  rather  less  than  two  quarts  when  boiled 
slowly  for  three  hours  with  the  lid  on,  —  then  I  shall 
choose  the  firmest  pieces  of  the  beef,  cut  them  into  large 
dice,  and  put  them  into  the  liquor  with  the  pork ;  but  I 
want  you  to  give  me  the  seasoning  of  the  regular  recipe, 
if  you  brought  it." 

"'  Yes  ;  as  you  wrote  you  wanted  some  English  pick- 
ling and  curing  recipes,  I  brought  my  little  book  ;  but 
I  advise  you  to  remember  the  difference  in  climate." 

"  Yes,  I  do ;  but  I  know  a  family  who  have  the  most 
delicious  bacon  and  ham,  and  they  use  old  country  rec- 
ipes in  curing." 

"Very  well,  then,  I  came  supplied."  She  took  from 
her  pocket  a  note-book.  "  The  seasoning  for  mock 
brawn  is  as  follows  :  Two  tea-spoonfuls  of  salt,  one  of 
ground  allspice,  one  of  black  pepper,  one  of  sugar,  half 
a  tea-spoonful  of  marjoram  -dried  and  rubbed  tine,  half 
one  of  thyme." 

"  I  think  I  '11  use  sage  instead  of  thyme,  and  I  fancy 
it  will  prove  a  very  savory  dish'to  eat  cold." 

Of  the  calf's  head  there  was  still  the  tongue,  the 
brains,  nearly  two  quarts  of  clear  mock-turtle  soup,  a 
small  platter  of  the  pieces  of  the  head  boiled,  and  some 
of  the  baked  head. 

"  It 's  rather  an  absurd  joint  to  buy  for  such  a  small 
family  as  ours,  unless  one  is  prepared  to  eat  it  in  every 
form  for  three  days." 

"  Well,  it  will  keep  a  few  days,  but  the  brains  and 
tongue  must  be  used  soon,  as  they  spoil  easily.  Su{> 
pose  you  have  stewed  tongue  for  dinner  to-day,  with 
brains  and  brown  butter  ?  The  rest  of  the  head  and 
soup  can  be  left  for  a  day  or  two  this  weather,  and  I 
will  prepare  them  at  once." 

They  went  to  the  kitchen  together,  and  Mrs.  Welles 
began  by  taking  the  skin  off  the  tongue,  which  had  been 
parboiled  on  Saturday  ;  then  she  trimmed  it  neatly  and 
cut  little  strips  of  salt  pork,  parallel  with  the  ritid,  as 
thick  as  a  match,  and  larded  it ;  then  she  put  into  a  small 
stone  pot  that  had  a  cover  two  slices  of  fat  pork,  a  tea- 


2o0  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

spoonful  of  chopped  parsley,  half  an  onion,  a  bay  leaf, 
a  salt-spoonful  of  salt,  half  one  of  pepper,  and  half  a 
tea-spoonful  of  thyme.  She  sprinkled  the  tongue  with 
salt  and  pepper,  laid  it  in  the  jar,  and  round  it  cut  a 
carrot  in  slices  ;  over  this  she  poured  a  cup  of  soup  and 
covered  it  close.  It  was  to  bake  three  hours  and  a 
half.  When  done  it  was  to  be  taken  up  and  the  gravy 
strained  and  skimmed ;  the  tongue  was  to  be  laid  in  a 
dish,  with  green  peas  round  it,  and  the  gravy  poured 
over  it. 

She  also  cleaned  the  calf's  brains,  carefully  removing 
all  the  slime  and  fibrous  skin,  but  without  breaking  them  ; 
then  she  told  Marta  to  put  them,  half  an  hour  before 
dinner,  into  well-salted  water  in  which  was  a  small  bunch 
of  parsley  and  a  bay  leaf,  to  boil  for  twenty  minutes  ; 
then  she  was  to  have  ready  some  fried  circles  of  bread, 
the  si^e  of  a  tea-cup  and  half  an  inch  thick.  {Seefry- 
inff,  Chapter  TV.)  When  the  brains  were  done  they 
were  to  be  taken  up  and  divided,  and  a  neat  piece  put 
on  each  round  of  l)read,  and  on  the  centre  of  each  a 
small  piece  of  pickled  gherkin  or  red  beet,  and  then 
they  were  to  have  poured  over  them  brown  butter,  made 
as  follows  :  One  table-spoonful  of  butter  melted  in  a  lit- 
tle saucepan  till  it  was  a  pale  brown  (not  the  least 
burnt),  then  a  tea-spoonful  of  lemon  juice  and  the  same 
of  finely  chopped  parsley  was  to  be  put  in  it.  She 
warned  her  if  the  butter  should  get  the  least  bit  too 
dark  it  would  be  spoilt,  and  it  would  darken  even  in 
carrying  from  the  range  to  the  table,  therefore  to  re- 
move it  as  soon  as  the  color  began  to  change. 

The  following  were  the  ways  in  which  the  remains  of 
the  head  were  disposed  of.  Though  Molly  was  tired 
of  it  by  the  time  it  was  gone,  Harry  was  not,  and  she 
could  not  but  recommend  it  to  Mrs.  Lennox  as  an  eco- 
nomical dish  to  have  for  a  large  family,  provided  she 
bought  only  a  large  fleshy  head  ;  a  bony  one  is  not  worth 
the  trouble  of  cooking. 

The  pieces  already  boiled  in  the  soup  made  two  small 
entrees   for    Wednesday  and    Thursday ;    the    first  was 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  251 

simply  some  pieces  simmered  half  an  hour  in  a  very  lit- 
tle of  the  soup,  then  taken  up  and  a  Hollandaise  sauce 
poured  over  it.  (See  recipe,  Chapter  XXIX.)  The 
second  was  the  quite  celebrated  one. 

Calf's  Head  en  Tortue,  made  as  follows :  A 
table-spoonful  of  butter  was  melted  in  a  saucepan,  a 
table-spoonful  of  flour  mixed  with  it  and  allowed  to  bub- 
ble ;  then  a  cup  of  the  clear  soup  reserved  for  the  pur- 
pose was  put  to  it  and  stirred,  to  make  a  thick,  smooth 
sauce  ;  the  juice  of  a  large  tomato  (Molly  used  a  little 
pulp  of  canned  tomato,  as  the  season  was  over)  was 
strained  to  it,  and  the  liquor  from  half  a  can  of  mush- 
rooms and  a  dozen  of  the  mushrooms ;  the  ])ieces  of 
meat  were  laid  in  this  sauce  and  stewed  for  twenty  min- 
utes very  gently,  with  great  care  that  they  might  not 
burn.  While  this  was  cooking,  a  small  saucepan  was 
put  on,  half  full  of  fat,  and  made  very  hot ;  then  one  egg 
for  each  person  was  broken  into  separate  cups  ;  these 
were  dropped  one  at  a  time  into  the  smoking  fat,  just  as  if 
it  were  water,  and  they  were  to  be  poached  ;  one  minute 
was  enough  to  brown  each  one,  and  only  one  was  done 
at  a  time,  or  while  one  was  taken  out  the  other  would 
harden  in  the  intense  heat  of  the  fat.  The  eggs  were 
perfectly  round  and  brown.  They  were  laid  round  the 
dish  of  meat,  and  between  them  tiny  green  gherkins. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

IDEAS  AND  SUGGESTIONS  ON  SEVERAL  SUBJECTS. 

Mrs.  Lennox  came  in  to  ca]l  on  Mrs.  Welles  later  the 
same  day.  Her  Maggie  had  been  with  her  now  several 
days,  and  she  could  judge  how  far  she  was  likely  to  be 
of  use  to  her.  Molly  had  been  anxious  to  know  the  re- 
sult of  the  experiment,  for  she  felt  deeply  interested  in 
her  neighbor,  and  that  if  Maggie  should  prove  more  a 
trial  than  comfort  she  might  perhaps  have  contributed 
by  her  advice  to  that  result.  After  a  little  conversation 
about  Mrs.  Welles's  visit  and  her  long  acquaintance  with 
Molly,  the  latter  asked  how  she  got  on  with  the  new  in- 
mate. 

"  For  the  first  three  or  four  days  it  seemed  a  failure, 
but  I  am  hopeful  now  of  better  things  ;  she  is  strong, 
seems  willing,  and  I  think  is  trying  to  do.  At  all  events 
I  almost  think  if  she  never  gets  beyond  the  point  of 
washing  dishes,  taking  up  ashes,  making  fires,  preparing 
vegetables  and  washing  I  shall  be  the  gainer,  for  that 
drudgery  left  me  no  time  for  the  lighter  work  to  be 
properly  done." 

"  Oh,  but  if  she  does  those  things  willingly,  and  as 
you  tell  her,  she  will  not  stop  there,  I  think ;  Mrs. 
Framley  was  speaking  of  her  sister,  and  says  she  is  of 
thoroughly  good  stock,  and  that  is  a  great  deal.  The 
good-for-nothing  girls  one  meets  with  usually  come  from 
thriftless  stock." 

"  AVell,  I  'm  going  to  hope  for  the  best,  and  as  I  'm  not 
expecting  too  many  of  the  cardinal  virtues  for  a  few  dol- 
lars a  month,  perhaps  I  may  not  be  disappointed ;  and 
now,  my  dear  Mrs.  Bishop,  lam  going  to  ask  you  to  give 
me  a  few  recipes  of  economical  dishes  for  a  family  like 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  253 

ours.  Uutil  I  talked  with  you,  I  only  knew  of  pot-pie 
and  Irish  stew,  both  badly  made,  and  though  I  have  a 
cookery-book  which  you  tell  me  is  excellent,  I  never 
made  anything  come  quite  right  out  of  it." 

"  In  justice  to  the  cooking-book,  and  indeed  to  latter 
day  cooking-books  in  general,  I  think,  perhaps,  if  you  '11 
forgive  me,  that  may  have  been  because  you  did  not 
know  enough  of  the  elements  of  cooking." 

"  I  certainly  did  not,  and  although  I  know  little  now, 
I  feel  so  very  much  wiser  than  I  did  a  month  ago  that 
I  look  back  in  wonder.  There 's  another  reason  why 
I  could  not  use  my  cookery-book,  —  it  always  wanted 
something  I  had  not  in  the  house  by  way  of  flavoring ; 
then  I  shut  up  the  book  and  cooked  in  my  own  old  way." 

"  One  of  your  American  worthies,  '  Josiah  Allen's  wife,' 
I  think,  says:  'It's  the  flavorin'  as  does  it,'"  said  Mrs. 
Welles  ;  "  and  I  think  fifty  cents  expended  in  flavorings  a 
very  good  investment,  from  an  economical  point  of  view." 

"  Yes,  if  one  lives  in  New  York  one  can  buy  all  sorts 
of  sweet  herbs,  and  dry  them.  At  the  same  time  I 
don't  think  Mr.  Lennox  likes  them." 

"  I  have  known  many  people  who  thought  they  did 
not  like  them  because  they  had  never  had  them  properly 
used,  or  at  least  when  properly  used  they  enjoyed  the 
dish  without  knowing  that  it  contained  herbs  at  all ;  in 
the  same  way  I  have  known  people  who  used  Worcester- 
shire sauce  in  everything,  and  who  would  even  ruin  clear 
soup  by  pouring  it  in,  vow  and  protest  they  could  never 
touch  anything  that  had  the  faintest  suspicion  of  garlic  ; 
Worcestershire  sauce  has  more  than  a  suspicion  of  garlic. 
I  know  others  who  will  eat  no  pickles  but  Crosse  & 
Blackwell's,  which  likewise  owe  the  subtle  difference  be- 
tween them  and  all  others  equally  to  the  effect  of  garlic; 
so  carefully  used  however  that  only  by  making  pickles 
with  and  without  that  suspicion  of  the  malodorous  herb 
can  you  see  why  many  other  pickles  lack  'just  some- 
thing.' " 

"  Well  — I'm  willing  to  be  instructed,  so  willing  that 
if  I  'd  time  and  money  I  would  go  to  New  York  and  go 
throuiih  a  course  at  a  cookinor-school." 


254  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

*'  Ah  !  If  every  young  wife  did  that,  what  years  of 
work  and  vexation  she  would  save  herself ;  it  is  such 
up-liill  work  teaching  one's  self  from  books;  it's  like 
trying  to  play  a  piece  of  music  without  having  learned 
to  count  time  ;  after  months,  if  you  knew  the  notes,  you 
might,  by  your  ear,  make  something  out  of  it ;  but  think 
of  the  toil !  So  it  is  with  recipes,  —  without  the  key, 
how  can  any  one  cook?  to  be  told  what  goes  into  a  pot, 
and  to  '  stew  it  gently '  so  long,  and  you  don 't  know 
what  gentle  stewing  is  !  You  are  told  to  put  your  meat 
in  the  oven  and  bake  it  '  beautifully  brown,'  and  you 
don't  know  that  to  brown  beautifully  your  oven  must  be 
just  so  hot  when  it  goes  in,  and  that  if  you  have  water 
in  your  pan,  it  will  steam,  not  bake ;  and  so  on.'* 

Molly  smiled  ;  Mrs.  Welles  was  on  her  hobby. 

"  Yes,  that 's  all  true,  and  I  only  wish  I  had  the  first 
year  of  my  married  life  to  go  over  again,  before  a  fam- 
ily came  in  the  way  of  my  doing  what  I  would  like." 

"  To  revert  to  the  question  of  flavorings,"  put  in 
Molly.  "  I  found  all  I  wanted  at  the  grocery  ;  they 
put  up  sweet  herbs  of  all  kinds  now  very  nicely,  in  pa- 
per boxes,  a  box  of  thyme  leaves  (be  sure  and  get  the 
leaves  rather  than  the  powdered  herb)  or  marjoram 
leaves  cost  but  five  cents  each.  Now  while  parsley  is  so 
plentiful  and  cheap  I  shall  buy  ten  cents'  worth  and  dry 
it  for  winter." 

"  I  did  not  know  parsley  would  dry  and  retain  its  fla- 
vor." 

"  It  will  not  if  done  as  we  dry  other  herbs  ;  it  must  be 
quickly  done  by  heat ;  if  put  in  a  cool  oven  with  the  door 
open,  or  in  a  plate-warmer,  it  will  dry  in  a  few  hours ;  then 
it  can  be  rubbed  fine  and  put  in  a  tin  box.  I  think  a  box 
of  lemon  thyme,  one  of  savory,  one  of  marjoram,  one  of 
sage,  with  five  cents'  worth  of  bay  leaves,  —  twenty  cents 
in  all,  —  will  give  you  all  the  herb  flavorings  generally 
called  for,  and  last  a  year  if  you  like  them  as  sparingly 
used  as  I  should  use  them.  Spices  most  people  have,  I 
would  almost  say  '  unluckily,'  remembering  how  sadly  too 
much  spice  mars  much  of  our  American  cooking ;  but  I 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  255 

will  give  you  several  recipes,  and  if  you  have  difficulty 
with  them  let  me  know.  I  think  perhaps  when  the  cold 
weather  comes  in  we  might  do  a  little  economy  to- 
gether." 

"  How  ? '' 

"  By  buying  meat  in  large  quantities,  beef  by  the 
quarter,  mutton  by  the  half  slieep ;  my  family  is  too 
small  to  make  such  a  way  of  buying  wise,  but  you  have 
several  mouths  to  feed,  and  none  would  go  to  waste." 

Mrs.  Lennox  looked  dubious  and  said : 

"  I  used  to  tliink  about  it.  Mr.  Lennox  suggested  he 
should  buy  a  quarter  of  beef,  as  he  knew  some  one  who 
did  so  all  through  the  winter  and  found  it  profitable, 
but  a  lady  who  had  also  tried  the  plan  told  me  there  was 
no  profit  in  it,  for  there  was  so  much  waste,  —  so  much 
coarse  meat  that  she  could  make  no  use  of."  ^ 

"  In  that  case  there  would  be  no  real  economy,  but 
there  need  be  no  waste,  and  should  be  none,  and  no  one 
need  eat  coarse  food.  I  mean,  properly  prepared  no 
part  of  beef  need  be  coarse ;  if  a  piece  of  brisket  or  Hank 
were  served  up  as  a  roast,  or  the  leg  broiled,  that  would 
indeed  be  coarse  ;  but  each  cooked  in  its  appropriate  way, 
they  would  be  far  from  being  so." 

"  But  the  fat,  —  there  is  so  much  of  it !  " 

"  But  what  more  useful  than  beef  fat,  or  more  whole- 
some ?     It  is  next  to  butter,  I  think." 

"  That  is  true ;  but  my  friend,  I  know,  could  not  use 
it,  and  said  she  was  so  thankful  to  see  the  last  of  that 
beef." 

"  The  only  objection  usually  urged  against  it,  and  I 
think  a  very  reasonable  one,  is  that  the  family  must  eat 
beef  or  mutton,  whichever  is  in  the  house,  constantly  till 
it  is  gone ;  but  I  do  not  see  even  that  necessity,  for  in 
cold  weather  the  meat  will  keep  so  well  that  some 
change  can  be  had,  and  then  in  winter,  even  for  my 
small  use,  I  would  not  fear  to  buy  half  a  sheep ;  I  could 
make  it  keep  a  month,  unless  the  weather  broke  ;  then 
I  would  manage  to  preserve  it ;  but  if  /  had  mutton 
and  you  had  beef,  we  could  certainly  change  sometimes ; 


256  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

though  half  a  sheep  used  during  a  month  would  not 
necessitate  monotony,  for  one  could  have  many  things 
between." 

"  What  would  you  do  with  mutton  fat  ?  " 

"  That,  I  grant,  is  not  so  available ;  but  there  is  less 
of  it,  and  1  should  try  it  out  and  make  soup.  The 
actual  saving  is  considerable,  especially  in  mutton.  Jt 
is  rare  to  get  chops  under  twenty  cents  a  pound ;  leg 
fourteen,  if  you  buy  them  separately,  which  is  the  fre- 
quent way,  while  the  half  sheep  can  be  bought  in  Wash- 
ington Market  for  ten  or  eleven  cents  a  pound;  the  lat- 
ter is  an  outside  price  (a  butcher  would  buy  for  less) 
for  prime  mutton,  while  beef  hind  quarter  would  be  for 
buyers  like  ourselves  thirteen  or  fourteen  cents  a  pound, 
unless  there  is  some  temporary  rise  in  the  market,  when 
of  course  one  need  not  buy  ;  but  that  is  the  average 
price  in  New  York." 

"  How  do  you  know  all  this  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Lennox 
in  amazement.  "  I  mean,  how  do  you  know  what  the 
prices  are  now  ?  " 

Molly  laughed.  "  In  this  particular  instance  I  made 
special  inquiry  or  asked  Mrs.  Welles  to  do  so ;  but  I 
keep  pretty  well  up  in  such  matters  by  the  Saturday 
editions  of  some  of  the  evening  papers,  although  I  usu- 
ally add  a  couple  of  cents  a  pound  to  the  quotations  for 
prime  meats  to  allow  for  any  difference  there  may  be. 
I  do  it,  however,  only  from  curiosity,  for  I  could  not  buy 
my  own  meat  so,  even  if  my  family  were  large,  for  JNIr. 
Bishop  is  not  experienced  enough  to  buy  and  send  it 
out." 

"Nor  is  Mr.  Lennox,  but  he  has  a  friend  who  has 
bought  so  for  years,  and  who  also,  when  game  and 
poultry  are  chea|),  and  I  believe  they  often  are  as  cheap 
as  meat,  sends  that  home  to  his  wife  too ;  and  Mr.  Len- 
nox enjoys  going  with  him,  and  once  in  a  while  has  sent 
us  home  turkeys  when  they  have  been  very  low  in  ])iice." 

"  Then  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  '11  do.  I  '11  write  out  sev- 
eral recipes  to  use  up  the  parts  of  the  beef  that  you  will 
not  broil  or  roast,  so  that  you  will  not  be  forced  to  eat 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  257 

beef  exclusively  in  order  to  get  rid  of  it  before  it  spoils. 
I  will  do  the  same  with  the  mutton." 

"  But,  my  dear  Mrs.  Bishop,  how  can  I  possibly 
trouble  you  so  far?    What  can  I  do  for  you  in  return  ?  " 

"  I  know  something  you  can  easily  do.  Let  me  have 
part  of  your,  beef  or  mutton  when  you  get  it ;  we  '11  take 
turns  about  the  prime  parts, —  I  have  as  much  use  for 
coarse  ones  sometimes ;  and  ask  Mr.  Lennox  once  in 
a  while  when  he  is  buying  meat  with  his  friend  and 
game  is  cheap,  to  send  me  out  some.  In  ^^ew  York 
prairie  hens  ^nd  partridges  are  sometimes  a  dollar  a 
pair ;  then  tliey  are  cheaper  than  meat  to  those  fond  of 
them  as  we  are.  Yet  Mrs.  Framley  says  she  never 
knew  them  less  than  two  dollars  a  pair  here.  Then  tlie 
writing  will  not  be  much  trouble  to  me,  for  while  Mrs. 
Welles  is  here  I  intend  to  get  some  recipes  from  her; 
the  one  copy  will  do  for  both  of  us." 

"  I  'm  afraid  I  'm  getting  all  the  good  of  that  ar- 
rangement." 

"  No,  it 's  a  case  of  give  and  take  between  us.  You 
learn  cooking  from  me,  I  learn  something  as  valuable 
from  you." 

"  You  are  kind  enough  to  say  so." 

After  Mrs.  Lennox  had  gone,  Mrs.  Welles  asked  what 
Molly  meant  by  saying  she  was  learning  something  just 
as  valuable. 

'*  Mrs.  Lennox  has  the  best-trained  children  I  ever 
knew.  They  are  full  of  fun  and  frolic,  yet  cheerfully 
obedient  to  her,  and  as  the  subject  is  likely  to  interest 
me,  I  have  observed  them  very  closely,  and  asked  her 
whether  they  were  unusually  amiable  or  whether  it  was 
due  to  training.  She  told  me  she  did  not  do  much 
training,  nor  were  the  children  specially  amiable ;  and  it 
is  true  there  seems  less  small  restriction  in  her  family 
than  in  most  others  where  the  children  are  'regular 
pickles.'  " 

"  How  does  she  manatje  them  ?  " 

"  I  hardly  think  she  knows  herself.  She  says  she 
makes  few  rules,  and  those  the  children  hardly  know  of; 
17 


258  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

they  only  know  there  are  a  few  things  they  dare  not  do ; 
but  I  notice  they  never  ask  her  for  a  thing  twice,  and 
that  is  because  she  says  she  never  denied  anything  she 
knew  she  might  be  induced  to  grant ;  so  they  know 
pleading  or  worrying  is  thrown  away,  and  four  happier 
children  you  never  saw.  I  asked  her  once  ii#her  babies 
were  as  good  as  they  are  when  older.  She  said  two 
were  no  trouble  ;  her  first  was  a  restless  one  for  the 
first  three  months  and  the  last  was  sick ;  but  she  will 
not  believe  that  well  babies  would  be  cross  or  restless  if 
properly  managed,  and  she  gave  me  her  experience  with 
the  first  one.  Of  course  I  know  nothing  from  experi- 
ence ;  I  can  only  observe  and  read  and  think,  and  I,  too, 
hope  to  have  a  good  baby  if  it  is  a  well  one." 

"  Dear  me  !  1  should  not  have  thought  Mrs.  Lennox 
was  a  woman  to  have  strongly-formed  ideas  on  the  sub- 
ject." 

"  No,  I  don't  believe  she  thinks  so  herself.  I  don't 
even  know  that  she  has  formulated  her  ideas.  She 
may  have  acted  only  on  instinct,  but  the  result  is  charm- 
ing ;  if  you  were  to  see  her  children  you  would  say  so." 


CHAPTER  XL. 

ENGLISH     MUFFINS     AND     CRUilPETS PICKLING     AND 

CURING ROAST  BEEF-HEART SOUSED  MACKEREL. 

Mrs.  Welles's  visit  was  to  have  been  a  week  only ; 
but  at  the  end  of  it  it  seemed  as  if  they  had  but  just  got 
to  the  point  of  enjoying  each  other,  and  Mr.  Welles  was 
induced  to  spare  her  for  a  few  days  longer. 

"  I  declare,  Molly,  when  I  came  here  I  expected  to  do 
80  much,  both  for  vou  and  myself,  and  I  've  done  noth- 

"  Oh,  yes ;  just  consider  my  entertainment,  what  you 
did  to  help  me  in  that;  but  there's  one  thing  I  want 
this  very  day,  that  is,  English  muffins  and  crumpets.  I 
have  tried  once  or  twice  from  recipes  in  my  English 
cook-books,  but  they  always  give  the  quantities  for  a 
bakery,  —  a  peck  of  flour,  sometimes  a  bushel,  —  and  it 
is  difficult  to  reduce  to  my  small  needs;  besides,  I  know 
success  depends  on  consistency,  and  there  is  very  little 
guidance  given.  '  Water  to  make  a  soft  dough  '  is  only 
stated  ;  how  soft  is  not  hinted,  and  the  so-called  English 
muffins  in  our  books  are  very  good  as  muffins,  only  they 
don't  happen  to  be  the  thing  at  all." 

"I  know  it  is  really  only  a  question  of  consistency.  I 
will  make  some  this  very  day,  if  you  have  yeast  in  the 
house." 

"  Yes,  I  am  especially  anxious  to  have  them,  because 
they  are  as  good  two  days  old  as  one,  and  in  a  little  fam- 
ily like  ours  that  is  a  great  thing." 

It  was  Monday,  and  by  the  time  the  muffins  ha^  risen, 
washing  would  be  over  and  the  top  of  the  fire  free. 

'"  We  '11  go  out  and  set  them  now." 

The  setting  was  very  simple,  being  only  the  making 


260  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

of  a  stijBE  bread-sponge.  Half  a  cake  of  yeast  was  dis- 
solved iu  a  pint  and  a  half  of  warm  milk,  into  which  a 
scant  tea-spoonful  of  salt,  two  of  sugar  and  one  large 
one  of  butter  warmed,  were  stirred.  Into  this  as  much 
dry,  sifted  flour  was  mixed  {about  three  pints)  as  would 
make  an  exceedingly  stiff  batter,  in  fact  "  stiffer  than 
batter,  softer  than  dough"  may  serve  as  an  indication  of 
the  consistency,  or  "  almost  too  stiff  to  stir,  quite  too  soft 
to  knead."  When  this  was  beaten  long  and  hard,  one 
third  was  put  into  another  bowl  and  this  was  thinned 
down  with  warm  milk  to  a-  batter  that  would  pour 
slowly.  This  was  for  crumpets,  the  only  difference  be- 
tween the  two  being  in  consistency.  They  were  cov- 
ered and  put  behind  the  range  to  rise. 

"  Now  let  me  have  your  book,  Charlotte ;  I  have  the 
time,  and  will  copy  out  what  I  want ;  but  first  give  me  a 
recipe  for  cooking  beef  heart.  I  remember  what  a  good 
dish  it  was,  and  they  are  only  ten  or  fifteen  cents  each, 
and  there  must  be  at  least  two  pounds  of  solid  meat  in 
one." 

"  There  is ;  the  only  objection  is  the  quickness  with 
which  heart  chills,  and  the  taste  of  cold  suet  is  very  dis- 
agreeable. This  may  be  obviated  by  careful  prepara- 
tion, however  ;  here  is  the  recipe  : 

"  Cut  off  the  gristle  and  the'  deaf  ear,'  as  the  tough 
red  lobe  at  the  top  is  called,  if  the  butcher  has  not  done 
it,  and  trim  off  all  the  fat  as  closely  as  possible ;  then  lay 
the  heart  in  boiling  water  for  half  an  hour,  keeping  it 
just  simmering.  When  thus  parboiled,  dry  it  well  and 
fill  the  three  holes  with  nice  stuffing,  either  sage,  onion 
and  bread  crumbs  made  with  equal  proportions  of  boiled 
onions  and  crumbs,  and  chopped  with  ten  large  sage 
leaves  to  the  pint,  which  must  be  dried  till  they  powder, 
or  highly  seasoned  veal-stuffing  made  as  follows : 

"  Veal  -  Stuffing.  —  Two  ounces  of  beef  suet, 
chopped  very  fine,  four  ounces  of  bread  crumbs,  one 
table-spoonful  of  chopped  parsley,  and  half  one  each  of 
thyme  and  marjoram,  and  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon, 
half  a  tea-spoonful  of  salt,  a  pinch  of  pepper  and  a  sus- 
picion of  nutmeg. 


TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH.  261 

"  Fill  the  heart  full  of  whichever  of  these  stuffings  is 
preferred,  but  do  not  press  it  in  tight.  Skewer  over  the 
top  several  thin  slices  of  fat  pork,  dredge  it  with  flour, 
and  bake  it  one  hour  and  a  half  in  a  good  oven.  Make 
gravy  of  a  cup  of  good  soup  or  broth,  poured  into  the 
pan  in  which  the  heart  was  baked,  and  thickened  with  a 
tea-spoonful  of  brown  thickening.  Many  people  like 
red  currant  jelly  made  hot  and  served  with  it  as  sauce. 
The  plafter  and  plates  must  be  very  hot  and  the  heart 
covered  as  it  goes  to  table. 

"  The  next  day  it  can  be  warmed  over  by  cutting  it 
into  slices  and  gently  stewing  it  in  a  rich  gravy.  It  is 
nicer  than  venison  thus  prepared." 

"When  Molly  had  this  written  in  her  book  she  opened 
the  one  Mrs.  Welles  handed  to  her  and,  to  select  from 
the  many  there,  read,  before  copying,  the  recipes  that 
would  be  most  useful  to  herself  and  Mrs.  Lennox. 

"  I  see  you  have  preliminary  remarks  which  will  be 
valuable." 

"  Yes,  my  mother's  experience,  not  my  own  ;  but  she 
was  a  North-of-Enorland  woman  and  thouijhtthe  London 
cured  meat  not  worth  eating." 

Under  the  head  of  general  rules  Molly  read  : 

Avoid  salting  meat  in  hot  weather  ;  from  October 
to  April  is  the  right  season.  If  forced  to  do  it,  however, 
cut  it  up  and  sprinkle  it  with  salt  before  the  animal  heat 
leaves  it.  If  hung  even  for  an  hour,  there  is  danger 
from  flies. 

In  cool  weather,  meat  should  hang  three  or  four  days 
to  get  tender  before  eating,  but  be  very  careful  it  does 
not  become  frost-bitten.  In  very  cold  weather,  make 
the  salt  hot  before  using  it. 

The  great  art  in  salting  meat  is  to  turn  it  every  day 
carefull}^  rubbing  salt  under  every  flap  or  double  part, 
and  filling  all  holes  with  salt  wherever  a  kernel  has 
been  cut  out,  or  a  skewer  has  been  in. 

Use  as  little  salt  as  will  preserve  the  meat,  as  it  will 
leave  it  more  juicy  and  tender.  Two  ounces  of  bay  salt, 
two  of  coarse  sugar,  and  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of 


262  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

common  salt  is  a  good  proportion^  and  is  enough  for  ten 
or  twelve  pounds  of  meat.  Do  not  put  on  all  the  salt  at 
once  ;  have  it  rolled  and  dried,  and  use  half  the  first 
day,  and  the  remainder  two  or  three  days  after.  Then 
the  blood  from  the  first  salting  must  be  drained  off. 
Sugar  preserves  meat  as  well  as  salt;  hence  its  use,  for 
it  renders  less  salt  necessary,  and  meat  is  more  tender 
with  it.  Saltpetre  is  only  useful  for  reddening  meat, 
but  is  apt  to  harden  it;  if  wanted  red,  however,  take 
half  an  ounce  of  saltpetre  and  one  of  coarse  sugar ;  this 
must  be  rubbed  in  the  third  day  after  the  first  slight  salt- 
ing ;  the  common  and  bay  salt  the  next  day. 

A  small  piece  —  eight  or  ten  pounds  —  of  pork  or 
beef  will  require  six  or  seven  days  ;  a  large  piece  may 
be  allowed  a  fortnight. 

Pickling  meat.  — Many  prefer  to  boil  the  meat  in 
water,  instead  of  rubbing  dry  salt  in.  The  proportions 
of  this  pickle  are,  two  gallons  of  water,  three  pounds 
of  salt,  half  a  pound  of  coarse  brown  sugar,  two  ounces 
of  saltpetre.  Boil  together  and  skim  very  well  while 
boiling.  Let  it  become  quite  cold  before  putting  in  the 
meat,  which  must  be  carefully  wiped  from  slime  or  blood 
and  any  pipes  or  kernels  removed. 

All  meat,  while  salting,  should  be  kept  closely  covered. 

Dutch  beef. —  Get  a  fine  piece  of  round  of  beef; 
rub  it  well  with  one  pound  of  coarse  sugar.  Do  this 
twice  a  day  for  three  days,  using  same  sugar.  When 
the  sugar  has  throughly  penetrated  the  meat,  wipe  dry, 
and  salt  with  the  following  mixture  :  Common  and  bay 
salt,  of  each  four  ounces  ;  saltpetre  and  sal  prunel,  of 
each  two  ounces ;  black  pepper  and  allspice,  of  each  one 
ounce.  Rub  well  and  continue  to  do  so  for  a  fortnight, 
then  roll  the  beef  tight  in  a  cloth,  sew  it  up,  and  it  is 
ready  for  smoking.  The  smoking  should  be  long  enough 
to  thoroughly  and  slowly  dry  the  meat,  but  not  long 
enough  for  the  covering  to  separate. 

This  beef  may  be  cut  and  boiled  as  wanted.  It  should 
be  pressed  with  a  weight  till  cold.  This  will  keep  two 
or  three  months  after  it  is  boiled,  if  it  is  rubbed  all  over 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRAf^v 
CHESTNUT  HILU  MASS 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  263 

with  hot  fat  (lard  or  suet  melted),  and  a  layer  of  fat  put 
over  a  fresh-cut  surface.  This  is  delicious  if  a  piece  is 
cut  off,  put  to  dry  slowly,  and  grated  for  sandwiches. 

Mutton  HAMS. —  Coarse  sugar,  bay  salt,  and  com- 
mon salt,  equal  parts,  and  to  each  pound  of  this  mixture 
add,  of  saltpetre  and  sal  prunel,  one  ounce  each,  of  black 
pepper,  allspice,  juniper  berries,  and  coriander  seeds,  all 
bruised,  half  an  dunce  each.  Dry  them  all  before  the 
fire,  and  rub  into  the  meat  while  hot.  This  is  an  excel- 
lent pickle  for  tongues.  Smoke  as  any  other  ham. 
Mutton  hams  are  usually  fried  or  broiled  in  rashers,  or 
thin  slices  as  you  would  pork  ham. 

WoECESTERSHiRE  SAUSAGES. —  These  are  made  en- 
tirely of  beef.  Choose  a  fine,  juicy  round  steak;  chop 
it  extremely  fine.  Allow  two  parts  lean,  one  part  fat, 
and  one  part  bread  crumbs  ;  season  pretty  high  with  pep- 
per and  salt  (and  allspice  if  liked).  Allow  to  each 
pound  eight  sage  leaves,  dried  and  rubbed  fine,  with  half 
a  salt-spoonful  of  knotted  marjoram.  Put  them  in 
skins  if  you  can,  and  cook  as  any  other  sausage. 

Red  BEEF  FOR  SLICING  COLD.  —  The  best  part  for 
this  purpose  is  the  thin  flank.  Take  off  the  skinny  in- 
side, and  salt  the  meat  for  a  week  or  ten  days  with  the 
following  mixture  rubbed  in  and  turned  morning  and 
night:  Common  salt,  one  pound;  saltpetre  and  bay  salt, 
each  one  ounce  ;  coarse  brown  sugar,  a  quarter  of  a 
pound.  Pound  and  mix,  using  of  the  mixture  more  or 
less  according  to  the  size  of  the  meat.  When  salt 
enough,  wipe  the  meat  dry  ;  sprinkle  over  it  black  pep- 
per, a  little  powdered  mace  and  cloves,  an  onion  chopped 
fine  and  some  parsley.  Roll  it  up,  bind  it  tight  with  a 
strip  of  muslin,  and  boil  it  slowly  three  hours,  or  longer 
if  large.  Press  with  a  heavy  weight  without  removing 
the  band.  When  cold  remove  the  band  and  cut  in  very 
thin  slices  as  required. 

"  Well,  I  think  now  if  Mrs.  Lennox  and  I  get  meat  in 
large  quantities  this  winter,  we  shall  not  need  to  let  any 
of  it  spoil  for  lack  of  ways  to  keep  it,"  said  Molly,  as 
she  prepared  to  copy  the  recipes  she  had  read. 


264  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

"  No ;  but  remember  that  mutton  will  keep  for  six 
weeks  in  cold,  dry  weather,  even  when  not  frozen,  if  it  is 
well  floured  and  a  little  ginger  is  put  in  the  crevices.  If 
it  freezes  and  then  thaws,  it  will  generally  need  cooking, 
but  the  longer  you  can  keep  it  the  better  it  will  be,  so 
that  it  does  not  taint.  The  outer  skin  may  even  get 
mouldy,  but  you  will  only  scraj)e  the  skin  and  trim  it. 
If  very  mouldy  and  likely  to  give  a  taste,  plunge  it,  after 
scraping,  into  boiling  water  ;  dry  it  thoroughly  and  bake 
in  a  very  sharp  oven.  But  all  meat  for  keeping  must 
hang^  not  lie,  and  hang  ii)  a  current  oi  pure  air." 

"  Thank  you  for  the  hint.  What  is  this  ?  Soused 
mackerel  ?  "  She  had  turned  to  the  end  of  the  note-book 
as  she  spoke.  "  I  remember  eating  them  at  your  house, 
and  how  good  they  were  ;  that  recipe  also  is  going  down 
in  my  book." 

Soused  mackerel.  —  Clean,  but  do  not  split,  four 
or  six  fresh  mackerel ;  boil  them  in  water  just  to  cover,  in 
which  are  one  clove,  three  allspice,  one  tea-spoonful  of 
salt  and  a  quarter  one  of  pepper  to  each  fish.  Take  the 
fish  out  as  soon  as  done,  and  before  they  break  lay  them 
in  a  deep  dish.  Boil  the  water  in  which  they  were 
cooked  down  to  half ;  put  to  it  an  equal  quantity  of  vin^ 
egar  (unless  the  latter  is  very  strong,  when  one-third 
will  do),  and  pour  it  over  the  fish. 

Soused  mackerel  another  way  —  "  and  that  is 
the  way  I  like  best,"  said  Mrs.  Welles,  and  Molly  read  : 
Put  three  or  four  mackerel  in  an  earthen  dish,  sprinkle 
over  each  mackerel  a  small  tea-spoonful  of  salt,  a  sixth 
of  pepper,  and  allow  to  each  two  allspice  and  half  a 
blade  of  mace  and  half  a  bay  leaf;  mix  vinegar  and 
water  in  equal  proportion,  and  pour  enough  over  to 
cover  the  fish;  put  them  in  a  very  slow  oven  for  three 
or  four  hours.  By  that  time  the  liquor  will  have  di- 
minished until  there  is  only  enough  to  serve  with  the 
fish.  These  fish  will  keep  for  several  weeks  in  cold 
weather.  If  the  vinegar  is  very  strong,  use  less  in  pro- 
portion. 

After  luncheon,  Mrs.  Welles   went    to    look    at   her 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  265 

muffius.  Tli^  were  hardly  light,  but  the  crumpets 
were  so  nearly  ready  that  she  put  on  the  griddle. 

"  You  hap[)en  to  have  a  soap-stone  griddle !  that  is 
the  very  thing  needed  for  muffins,  though  one  can  man- 
age to  bake  on  an  iron  one." 

"Yes,  I  am  promising  myself  inodorous  buckwheat 
cakes  this  winter  with  that." 

It  took  the  griddle  half  an  hour  to  get  thoroughly 
hot. 

"  Of  course  you  have  no  crumpet-rings  ?  " 

"No;  but  if  these  are  a  success  I  shall  get  a  few 
made  ;  meanwhile,  won't  muffin  rings  do  ?  They  are  the 
large,  old-fashioned  sort." 

"  We  must  make  them  do  ;  but  I  can't  bear  anything 
not  to  look  just  right.  I  never  fancy  they  eat  well  if 
they  do  not."  Molly  handed  out  a  bundle  of  large  old 
rings  which  Mrs.  Welles  greased  and  laid  on  the  grid- 
dle ;  then,  when  they  were  hot,  she  poured  into  each 
batter  to  the  depth  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  drawing  the 
griddle  a  little  back  as  she  did  so.  She  did  not  attempt 
to  turn  them  until  the  top  was  full  of  holes  and  the  bat- 
ter had  dried ;  then  they  were  turned  for  about  three 
minutes ;  except  that  they  were  more  slowly  cooked,  the 
baking  was  the  same  as  for  what  are  usually  called 
raised  muffins,  and  they  appeared  the  same,  but  not  quite 
so  thick.  They  should  not  be  more  than  half  an  inch 
thick  when  cooked.  When  they  were  done  the  muffins 
were  ready  to  bake ;  the  paste  was  like  honeycomb. 

**  Now  the  whole  difficulty  with  these  is  shaping  them, 
and  it  requires  practice.  I  don't  know  that  I  shall  man- 
age it ;  for  it  is  years  since  I  made  them." 

The  pastry-board  was  put  on  the  table,  a  good  deal  of 
flour  spread  on  it,  and  the  paste  turned  out  very  gently. 

"  You  see,  Molly,  that  the  griddle  is  hot,  yet  not  too 
hot." 

As  she  spoke  she  lightly  cut  off  bits  of  the  soft  dough 
about  the  size  of  a  duck's  egg.  She  could  not  touch 
them  easily,  for  they  were  too  soft,  but  they  were  rolled 
about  in  the  flour  (taking  care  not  to  press  them),  which 


266  TEN  DOLLARS   ENOUGH. 

was  not  worked  into  them,  and  they  were  left  in  a  sort 
of  bed  of  it.  When  half  a  dozen  were  done,  she  took 
one  up  very  gingerly,  tossing  it  gently  back  and  forth 
between  her  iioured  hands,  to  get  rid  of  the  superfluous 
flour,  and  also  because  she  could  not  let  them  remain  in 
one  position  for  fear  of  their  sticking  to  her  hands,  yet 
so  carefully  as  not  to  press  the  lightness  out.  When  she 
reached  the  griddle  she  lightly  dropped  the  mufRn  in  as 
round  a  form  as  possible  on  it.  When  half  a  dozen 
were  put  on  in  the  same  way,  they  were  left  to  swell 
and  get  round  and  dry -looking,  before  the  griddle  was 
put  forward  to  give  them  a  slight  browning.  When  the 
top  looked  no  longer  raw,  they  were  gently  turned  and 
left  five  minutes  the  other  side.  The  baking  took  about 
twenty  minutes,  and  they  were  over  an  inch  thick  when 
done. 

"  I  know  one  thing,  —  if  /  make  these,  I  will  have 
rings  made  four  inches  in  diameter  expressly  for  English 
muflins,  although  I  know  the  real  ones  are  baked  with- 
out rings.  It  can't  make  much  difference  to  the  quality, 
and  will  save  much  trouble  to  unpracticed  hands." 

"  I  think  so  too." 

There  were  a  great  many  more  muffins  and  crumpets 
than  were  likely  to  be  used  in  their  small  family,  and 
Molly  said  she  should  send  some  to  Mrs.  Lennox. 

"  Then  pray  send  the  directions  how  to  eat  them,  or 
they  will  simply  put  them  in  the  oven,  and  they  will  be 
like  leather.  W^hen  some  people  have  offered  me  real 
English  muffins,  bought  at  Pursell's,  with  the  crust  like 
leather,  I  have  been  astonished  that  they  could  like 
them,  and  thought  how  they  would  enjoy  them  prepared 
in  real  English  fashion." 

Molly  penned  a  little  note  of  directions  as  follows  : 

Dear  Mrs.  Lennox  :  —  I  send  you  some  English 
muffins  and  crumpets  made  by  Mrs.  W^elles,  who  is  anx- 
ious that  you  at  least  should  eat  them  as  they  are  eaten 
in  her  country.  She  scouts  the  idea  of  their  being  simply 
made  hot  in  the  oven,  and  is  only  surprised  that,  eaten 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  267 

that  way,  they  sliould  be  as  much  in  favor  as  they  are. 
Both  are  to  be  toasted,  and  are  better  the  day  after  they 
are  made.  The  crumpets  are  toasted  both  sides  until 
hot  through,  slightly  browner  and  crisp ;  then  butter, 
very  little  salted,  must  be  plentifully  laid  in  little  bits 
on  each  one  as  it  is  toasted  ;  then  put  it  in  the  oven 
while  you  toast  the  other.  When  the  second  is  done, 
the  butter  on  the  first  will  be  soft  enough  to  spread 
without  pressure.  When  all  are  buttered,  cut  once 
throuofh  the  middle. 

o 

The  muffins  are  also  toasted.  They  must  be  broken 
all  round  the  edge  as  if  you  were  going  to  split  them, 
then  toasted  on  both  sides  until  the  crust  will  crack  under 
the  thumb  nail.  Rip  them  open  quickly,  put  a  bounti- 
ful supply  of  butter,  in  small  pieces,  on  the  inside  of 
each  half ;  close  it  and  put  it  in  the  oven  while  another 
is  being  toasted.  When  it  comes  out  the  butter  will  be 
melted.  Never  attempt  to  spread  them  first,  or  they 
will  be  heavy.  If  the  butter  has  not  spread  all  over, 
you  may  gently  use  a  knife  to  make  it  even,  but  without 
pressure.  When  each  muffin  is  put  together  again, 
spread  a  little  butter  on  the  outer  crust,  and  cut  them 
through  the  middle. 

The  essentials  are  that  they  should  be  well  toasted,  so 
as  to  be  hot  through  and  crisp  outside,  then  so  quickly 
buttered  as  not  to  get  cold,  and  to  be  served  very  hot. 
There  is  a  covered  dish  on  purpose,  called  a  muffineer, 
but  lacking  that,  a  hot  bowl  should  be  turned  over  them 
to  keep  them  hot. 

It  is  English  fashion,  for  tea,  to  serve  both  muffins  and 
crumpets.  They  are  handed  round  together,  a  plate  of 
each,  some  preferring  one,  some  the  other.  At  break- 
fast, muffins  alone  are  usual.  I  just  say  the  last  to 
round  up  the  matter,  not  that  I  suppose  you  will  care 
one  bit  what  the  English  mode  of  serving  is,  but  I  do 
think,  for  the  sake  of  our  digestion,  we  should  either  eat 
them  toasted  or  let  them  alone.  I  send  you  over  my 
receipt-book,  in  which  I  have  copied  some  things  that 
may  be  useful  to  both  of  us.     You  tell  me  Mr.  Lennox 


268  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

writes  out  such  things  for  you,  and  you  can  keep  the 
book  until  he  has  leisure.         Yours  sincerely, 

Molly  Bishop. 

The  pork  hocks  had  been  put  on  early  for  the  mock 
brawn,  and  taken  out  and  boned.  The  stock  was  now 
made,  and  Molly  seasoned  and  prepared  it  in  accordance 
with  her  plan.  The  pieces  of  pork,  the  seasoning,,  and 
the  best  of  the  beef,  cut  into  pieces  about  two  inches 
square,  and  of  which  there  was  about  twice  as  much  as 
theie  was  pork,  were  put  into  the  liquor,  heated  once  to- 
gether, and  then  poured  into  a  pan.  It  looked  rather 
like  head  cheese.  When  cold,  it  turned  out  in  a  slab. 
Part  was  sent  to  Mrs.  Lennox  with  an  explanation  of 
what  it  was  ;  part  to  Mrs.  Gibbs,  with  the  rest  of  the 
meat  made  into  the  usual  hash  for  her ;  and  the  re- 
mainder was  kept  for  home  purposes,  for  both  Mrs. 
Welles  and  Marta  found  it  very  relishing. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

THE  BABY  —  CONCLUSION. 

It  is  July,  nearly  a  year  after  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop  be- 
gan the  experiment  of  keeping  house  in  Mrs.  Winfield's 
cottage,  which  has  become  very  dear  to  them  both,  al- 
though in  three  months  they  are  to  leave  it  and  go  into 
one  of  their  own.  So  charmed  had  Mr.  Bishop,  senior, 
become  with  Harry's  home  that  he  had  been  a  frequent 
visitor  during  the  summer,  and  sometimes  Mrs.  Bishop, 
too,  came ;  but  society  engagements  took  her  time,  and 
when  May  came,  she  fled  with  her  daughters  to  a  fash- 
ionable watering-place,  and  Mr.  Bishop,  instead  of  stay- 
ing as  usual  in  his  city  house,  came  out  to  stay  with  his 
son,  and  went  in  with  him  to  business  daily.  The  result 
was  that  Harry  was  reinstated  in  his  father's  favor,  and 
it  seemed  as  if  the  elder  gentleman  was  going  to  make 
amends  for  his  past  mistake  ;  for  he  told  Harry  he  would 
now  do  what  he  always  had  meant  to  do  until  he  found 
he  was  bent  on  making  a  fool  of  himself. 

"  Not  that  your  luck  is  anything  to  your  credit,"  he 
persisted ;  "  it 's  a  mere  fluke  your  getting  such  a  wife  as 
Molly  ;  but  you'll  come  into  the  firm  as  junior  at  Christ- 
mas." 

This  was  what  Harry  had  been  brought  up  to  expect, 
and  the  prospect  that  he  had  to  give  up  on  marrying 
Molly.  He  was  grateful  to  his  father,  for  after  all, 
pleasant  as  life  was  for  him  even  with  his  narrow  in- 
come, it  was  likely  to  be  a  great  deal  pleasanter  when 
he  would  not  have  to  count  every  cent  so  closely. 

"  Yes,  yes,  you  are  one  who  has  the  luck  to  *  eat  his 
cake  and  have  it  too,'  "  said  the  old  gentleman  irritably  ; 
"  but  I  'm  doing  it  just  as  much  for  Molly  and  the  baby 
as  for  you." 


270  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

Yes,  there  was  a  baby,  — a  baby  just  thirty-six  hours 
old  when  Mr.  Bishop  announced  his  intention  to  the 
young  father  ;  and  Harry  carried  back  to  Molly  that 
evening  a  very  glad  heart.  The  baby  was  a  girl,  and 
Molly's  only  shadow  was  that  Harry  did  not  seem  to 
admire  it  so  much  as  she  thought  it  deserved. 

"  You  mean  to  say  you  don't  think  it 's  pretty,  Harry  ?  " 
she  had  asked  when  she  exhibited  the  little  red,  squirm- 
ing thing  in  its  nest  of  flannel. 

Harry  shook  his  head  doubtfully.  "  I  may  see  some 
beauty  later  when,  when  it  gets  into  some  sort  of  shape, 
and  its  head  is  screwed  tighter;  at  present  I  don't  ad- 
mire it,  but,  as  Mark  Twain  says,  *  I  've  a  certain  respect 
for  it,  for  its  father's  sake.' " 

"Oh,  Harry!" 

This  was  in  the  morning  before  he  left  home,  and  when 
he  returned  at  night  he  went  up  to  Molly's  room  and 
kissed  her.  He  thought  she  must  certainly  see  the  good 
news  in  his  face,  so  accustomed  was  he  to  her  reading 
his  countenance. 

"  Well,  Molly,  don't  you  want  to  know  the  news  ?  " 

"  But  you  have  n't  asked  after  the  baby  ;  —  don't  you 
want  to  kiss  it  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Molly,  your  serenity  told  me  how  the  baby 
was,  —  and  —  and  1  would  n't  disturb  it  to  kiss  it." 

"  You  never  saw  such  a  sleeper  as  she  is ;  she  won't 
wake,  and  I've  hardly  seen  her  eyes  yet ! " 

"  I  hope  she  '11  continue  such  good  habits ;  but  now, 
Molly,  I  have  great  news  —  news  I  expected  some  time, 
of  course,  but  not  quite  so  soon." 

Then  he  told  the  news,  and  Molly  responded  only  by 
a  closer  pressure  of  his  hand. 

"  And  that  is  not  all ;  my  father  has  decided  to  buy 
the  Framley  cottage  and  rent  it  to  us,  and  says  he  meant 
to  give  my  wife  a  check  as  a  wedding  present,  had  I 
married  Miss  Vanderpool,  and  now  he  sends  it  to  you." 

"  Oh,  Harry,  how  good  of  him  !  how  much  is  it  ? 
That  sounds  greedy  ;  but  if  it  is  enough  we  can  furnish 
with  it." 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  271 

Harry  opened  his  pocketbook  and  took  out  a  check  for 
$1,000.  *' You  must  lay  this  by,  Molly,  for  yourself; 
you  know  I  have  $3,000  which  we  agreed  never  to  touch 
except  for  some  emergency ;  but  now  that  my  prospects 
are  assured  I  prefer  to  furnish  for  you,  Molly,  rather 
than  you  for  me." 

"  What  will  be  your  income,  Harry  ?  " 

"Oh,  nothing  very  splendid,  for  I  am  only  junior  with 
a  fifth  interest,  but  it  is  the  certainty  of  the  future 
that  delights  me." 

"  Yes,  and  the  proof  of  your  father's  affection." 

"  Yes,  certainly." 

"  You  remember,  Harry,  what  we  promised  each  other, 
—  that  even  with  a  better  income  our  expenses  were  not 
to  be  increased  ?  " 

"  Not  while  I  was  on  a  salary,  dear ;  but  I  am  quite 
contented  with  the  last  year  of  our  life ;  I  want  nothing 
grander  or  better,  but  I  do  want  to  see  you  in  your  own 
house  furnished  with  your  own  taste,  and  replete  with 
all  the  conveniences  that  will  make  the  housekeeping  you 
love,  easy  to  you ;  and  I  shall  insist  on  providing  you 
with  such  assistance  as  will  save  your  health  and  strength. 
But  I  am  not  anxious  for  style  or  show,  and  we  will 
waste  no  money  upon  it." 

Nor  did  they. 

Mr.  Framley  had  built  one  of  the  handsomest  houses 
in  Greenfield,  and  the  charming  Queen  Anne  cottage 
they  had  hitherto  lived  in  had  been  for  sale.  Molly  had 
often  pointed  it  out  to  her  father-in-law  and  admired  its 
beautiful  lawn  and  expatiated  on  the  fruits  and  kitchen 
garden,  little  supposing  it  would  soon  be  her  own  home. 

The  only  crumple  in  Molly's  rose  leaves  was  Mrs. 
Bishop,  senior's,  views  with  regard  to  the  baby.  Molly 
had  had  no  babies :  her  mother-in-law  had  had  eight,  five  of 
whom  had  lived  and  flourished.  But  Molly  had  known 
other  people's  babies,  and  had  made  their  experience  her 
own,  so  far  as  observation  enabled  her  to  do  it,  and  she 
had  read  all  the  good  writing  there  was  on  the  baby 
question,  and,  as  may  be  expected,  had  her  views  and 


272  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

naturally  wished  to  carry  them  but  in  the  person  of  her 
own  baby.  If  a  woman  can't  do  what  she  likes  with  her 
own  baby,  when  is  she  to  do  it  ? 

But,  strange  to  say,  the  dowager,  Mrs.  Bishop,  seemed 
to  feel  the  new  comer  was  even  more  Ilarrj^'s  baby  and 
her  own  grandchild  than  Molly's  child,  and  being  her] 
first  *' posterity,"  she  was  very  much  interested  in  it,  and 
she  and  Mr.  Bishop  had  come  to  the  Greenfield  hotel  in 
order  to  be  at  hand. 

Very  soon  Molly,  with  her  latter-day  views  of  baby 
training,  and  Mrs.  Bishop,  with  her  experience  of  eight, 
clashed.  For  days  the  struggle  was  silent,  for  she  was 
Harry's  mother ;  and  all  the  directions  for  giving  anise- 
seed  tea,  and  gin  and  water,  and  paregoric,  were  quietly 
disregarded,  —  but  the  tug  of  war  came  when  Molly  re» 
fused  to  nurse  it  before  the  appointed  hour. 

"  And  you  mean  to  say  you  will  not  feed  that  little 
creature  till  the  time  you  think  it  needs  it  ?  Can  you 
judge  of  a  baby's  hunger?" 

"  Mamma,  I  asked  the  doctor  to  guide  me,  and  all  the 
best  writers  say  "  — 

"  There  it  is !  "  cried  Mrs.  Bishop,  triumphantly. 
"  You  are  such  a  theorist,  Molly  ;  but  you  can't  bring 
up  a  child  by  books,  and  it  may  cost  you  this  one's  life  or 
health  to  find  that  out.  I  am  surprised  a  woman  of 
your  sense  should  not  see  that  you  can't  set  up  your 
book  experience  against  the  practical  knowledge  of  a 
mother  of  eight." 

Molly  made  no  reply  :  she  could  not  be  cruel  enough 
to  hint  that  three  of  the  eight  had  died. 

Happily  for  Molly  and  the  carrying  out  of  her  views, 
Mrs.  Lennox,  who  had  become  ^  very  dear  friend,  was 
with  her  very  much,  and  it  was  her  nurse,  an  intelligent 
woman,  who  was  in  attendance ;  and  between  them  they 
had  been  able  to  save  Molly  much  anxiety.  She  knew 
that  her  own  orders,  and  no  one's  else,  would  be  carried 
out;  this  otherwise  would  have  been  a  terrible  anxiety  ; 
for  her  doctor  had  said  to  her,  in  one  of  her  talks  with 
him  before  the  birth  of  the  child,  "  Half  the  babies'  stom- 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  273 

achs  are  ruined  in  the  first  nionth,  and  the  poor  baby  be- 
comes a  victim  to  colic  and  indigestion  through  that 
month's  mistakes.  Some  babies  are  born  to  it,  but  these 
are  few  compared  with  the  many  that  are  made  to  suffer 
by  bad  habits." 

Mrs.  Bishop,  senior,  disapproved  of  the  nurse,  and 
openly  derided  the  doctor,  and  audibly  scorned  the  idea 
of  putting  a  baby  a  fortnight  old  in  "training"  and 
freely  told  her  daughter  that  Molly  was  not  fit  to  be  a 
mother ;  that  she  ought  to  have  remained  single  and  be- 
come a  doctress,  or  screeched  for  woman's  rights  from  a 
platform. 

The  excitement  of  the  contention  on  Molly  had  to  be 
stopped,  and,  unknown  to  his  wife,  Harry,  instigated  by 
Mrs.  Lennox,  had  to  warn  his  mother  that  slie  must 
leave  Molly  to  her  own  ideas,  even  if  they  were  mis- 
taken ;  and  Mrs.  Bishop  had  contented  herself  after- 
wards with  expressing  her  opinions  and  her  fears.  But 
when,  in  spite  of  all,  the  baby  flourished  and  grew  fat, 
and  seemed  freer  from  the  ills  of  babyhood  than  the 
average,  she  averred  it  was  owing  to  the  cast-iron  con- 
stitution it  had  inherited  from  its  father.  She  declared 
that  "  to  point  to  Molly's  child  as  a  proof  that  the  new 
ideas  of  bringing  up  babies  are  better  than  the  old  is  as 
reasonable  as  to  point  to  the  health  and  strength  of  the 
Germans  as  a  proof  that  babies  ought  to  be  swaddled 
and  bound  on  to  boards  for  the  first  months  of  their 
lives,  in  order  to  become  so  strong  and  straight.  One 
forgets  the  number  who  die  under  the  process,  and  it  is 
only  the  very  strong  who  survive." 

And  this,  strangely  enough,  was  exactly  what  Molly 
also  said  to  herself  when  she  heard  that  Harry  "  actually 
owed  his  life  to  soothing  syrup,"  which  had  enabled  him 
to  survive  his  teething  troubles. 

And  so  with  a  beautiful,  healthy  baby  (whom,  by  the 
bye,  Harry  now  dandles  with  great  pride),  a  new  house, 
and  the  delightful  task  of  furnishing  it,  in  these  days  of 
pretty  furniture  and  dainty  devices,  we  leave  Molly 
with  as  briglit  a  future  before  her  as  a  loving  husband, 
18 


274  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

good  health,  good  prospects  and  a  resolve  to  be  a  good, 
true  wife  and  mother  could  give  to  any  woman. 

Of  Marta  there  are  a  few  words  to  be  said.  Those  of 
Molly's  friends  who  are  not  very  often  at  the  house  con- 
sider Mrs.  Bishop  a  very  fortunate  woman  in  having 
such  a  treasure.  Molly  herself  thinks  so ;  but  I  doubt 
if  half  those  who  so  speak  would  have  been  satisfied 
with  Marta's  moderate  gifts.  She  was  a  treasure  be- 
cause she  was  true  and  faithful  in  everything.  Her 
service  was  not  better  than  that  of  any  clean,  strong, 
willing  girl,  under  the  eye  of  an  intelligent  mistress. 

"  But  Marta  was  such  a  wonderful  cook ! "  some 
would  say.  Marta  would  never  be  a  good  cook  un- 
guided  ;  it  was  not  in  her ;  she  had  had  the  exceptional 
advantage  of  training  under  a  woman  who,  if  she  had 
needed  it,  had  qualified  herself  to  teach  cooking  profes- 
sionally ;  who  cooked  scientifically  from  precise  rules, 
and  who  herself  had  very  little  to  learn  when  she  began 
with  Marta,  and  who  had  patience  as  well  as  knowledge. 

How  few  girls  have  such  a  chance  !  We  send  girls  to 
a  cooking-school  to  take  twelve  or  twenty-four  lessons, 
and  we  know  that  if  they  are  of  the  right  material  (and 
if  not  we  should  hardly  send  them),  they  leave  the 
school  vastly  improved,  with  quite  different  ideas  from 
those  who  have  been  through  no  such  training;  and 
Marta  had  been  at  such  a  school  daily  for  many  months, 
yet,  at  the  end  of  them,  her  accomplishments  were  not 
many.  She  could  fry,  stew,  roast,  and  make  soup  to 
perfection.  She  could  not  be  trusted  to  do  anything 
that  depended  on  flavor  or  taste;  she  never  seemed  to 
learn  that  one  clove  may  be  pleasant,  half  a  dozen  detest- 
able ;  that  herbs  should  only  lend  a  vague  savoriness, 
never  be  so  strong  as  to  make  one  feel  they  were  par- 
taking of  marjoram  soup  or  parsley  stew.  But  Molly 
knew  her  limitations  and  knew  —  take  her  all  in  all  — 
she  was  not  likely  to  better  herself  by  changing.  A 
girl  of  quicker  wits  might  have  been  less  faithful,  or,  if 
so  bright  as  to  learn  all  Molly  could  teach,  she  would 
naturally   and  rightly   wish  to  take  a  place  as  professed 


TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH.  275 

cook,  with  her  thirty  or  forty  dollars  a  month  wages,  and 
no  washing.  So  Marta  remained,  a  very  devoted  ser- 
vant ;  very  exasperating  sometimes,  but  at  all  times 
valuable. 

Mrs.  Lennox  has  only  one  thing  to  say  ;  she  does  not 
regret  taking  Maggie  ;  she  is  no  worse  off  in  her  pocket, 
and  is  better  off  in  nerves  and  muscles ;  the  tired,  over- 
worked look  is  no  longer  conspicuous.  She  is  still  over- 
worked and  overworried,  but  she  has  a  strong  pair  of 
arms  to  call  upon,  and  they  are  willing  to  do  the  ap- 
pointed task  which  Mrs.  Lennox  always  remembers  she 
must  otherwise  have  done  herself.  Maggie  needed 
watching  at  every  turn  the  first  few  months  ;  she  now 
knows  the  ways  and  does  the  work  fairly  well.  She  is 
no  paragon,  and  if  Mrs.  Lennox  had  no  children  she 
would  rather  be  without  her,  but  when  she  gets  out  of 
rpatience  she  looks  back  and  remembers  how  she  had 
not  even  time  "  to  think  "  before  she  came ;  when  she 
did  sit  down  her  muscles  ached  and  tingled  so  that  even 
rest  was  a  dull  void,  simply  cessation  from  exertion. 
Mrs.  Lennox  now  does  the  cooking  and  the  sewing ; 
Maggie  does  the  work.  She  will  never  do  more  in  the 
cooking  way  than  boil  potatoes,  make  mush  and  bread 
(the  latter  well,  for  she  knows  only  one  way  and  that  is 
the  way  she  does  it),  and  burn  or  smoke  a  beefsteak. 
But  Mrs.  Lennox  will  soon  have  either  to  pay  her  more, 
or  take  another  new  arrival ;    that  is  inevitable. 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  all  Molly's  neighbors  were 
as  fond  of  her  as  Mrs.  Lennox.  No  one  can  live  up  to 
a  higher  ideal  than  the  average  (even  when  the  ideal  is 
only  cooking),  without  hurting  some  one's  corns. 
Several  ladies  disapproved  of  her,  thought  she  set  a 
very  bad  example  by  making  men  expect  too  much  of 
tiieir  wives,  and  those  who  lived  very  badly  on  double 
IJarry's  income  felt  personally  injured. 

But  all  this  Molly  did  not  know;  she  did  not  suspect 
that  her  affairs  were  known  or  discussed,  but  before 
leaving  Greenfield  Mrs.  Winfield  had  spoken,  with  the 
best  intentions  in  the  world,  X)f  this  young  couple's  ro- 


276  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH. 

mantic  marriage,  and  the  bravery  required  of  a  young 
wife  to  face  life  on  $100  a  month,  with  a  husband 
brought  up,  as  Harry  had  been,  in  such  splendor  and  lux- 
ury. This  was  naturally  discussed  till  the  story  became 
public  property,  unknown  to  the  heroine  of  it,  who  had 
no  thought  of  setting  an  example,  good  or  bad,  or  of 
shining  brightly  by  comparison  with  less  clever  or  en- 
ergetic women  ;  indeed,  she  was  rather  conscious  of  short- 
comings of  her  own.  She  looked  hopelessly  on  the  piles 
of  sewing  some  of  her  friends  got  through,  with  very 
many  calls  on  their  time  besides,  and  could  only  comfort 
herself  with  the  thought  that  her  abilities  did  not  lie  in 
that  direction,  and  that  she  could  only  do  the  best  that 
was  in  her. 

Another  pleasure  in  store  for  Molly  is  that  Mrs. 
Welles  is  soon  to  be  her  neighbor ;  for  Mr.  Welles  had 
promised  to  build  a  house  near  them,  in  consequence  of 
which  Harry  predicts  that  Greenfield  will  soon  have  a 
rival  to  Soyer's  celebrated  symposium. 


INDEX. 


Bacon  and  liver,  98. 

Bananas,  frozen,  179. 

Beans,  Lima,  48. 

Bean  soup,  173,  182. 

Beef  k  la  mode,  74. 

Beef  au  gratin,  76. 

Beef,  braised,  97. 

Beef,  boiled  corned,  126. 

Beef,  corned,  hash,  122. 

Beef,  Dutch,  262. 

Beef-heart,  roast,  260. 

Beef,  miroton  of,  169. 

Beef  pot-pie,  58. 

Beef,  red,  for  slicing-  cold,  263. 

Beef,  Soyer's  roast-braise,  159. 

Beefsteak,  broiled,  51. 

Beefsteak  pudding-,  211. 

Beefsteak,  rolled,  128. 

Beefsteak,  stewed,  236. 

Beef,  stewed  cannelon  of,  128. 

Beets,  boiled,  126. 

Biscuit,  10. 

Bisque  of  clams,  102. 

Bisque  of  oysters,  102. 

Bouillon,  227. 

Bouillon,  to  clear,  238. 

Bread,  31,  32. 

Bread,  rye,  106. 

Brown  thickening,  93. 

Butter  thickening,  203. 

Cabbage,  24. 
Cake,  cup,  38. 
Cake,  iced  tablets,  231. 
Cake,  Madeleine,  168. 
Cakes,  various,  164. 
Calf's  brains,  250. 
Calf's  head,  242. 


Calf's  head  en  tortue,  251. 

Calf's  head  with  HoUandaise 
sauce,  251. 

Calf's  tongue,  stewed,  249. 

Caper  sauce,  199. 

Caramel,  94. 

Carrots,  cones  of,  74. 

Cheese  cakes,  210. 

Cheese  canap^es,  47. 

Cheese  fondue,  84. 

Cheese  fritters,  75. 

Cheese  macaroni,  199. 

Chicken,  cleansing  and  prepar- 
ing, 131. 

CJiicken  croquettes,  72 

Chicken  drumsticks,  83. 

Chicken,  fricasseed,  173. 

Chicken,  fried  fricasseed,  192. 

Chicken  fritters,  73. 

Chicken  giblets,  131. 

Chicken  pie,  77,  83. 

Chicken  salad,  13. 

Chicken  sandwiches,  239. 

Chops,  breaded,  33. 

Clams,  bisque  of,  102. 

Clams,  scalloped,  75. 

Cochineal  coloring,  229. 

Codfish,  boiled,  185. 

Coffee,  14. 

Coffee,  iced  cream,  167. 

Consomm^,  232. 

Consomm^  a  la  royale,  191. 

Corn  muffins,  34. 

Corned  beef,  boiled,  126. 

Cream,  whipped,  167. 

Croquettes,  chicken,  72. 

Croquettes,  lamb,  101. 

Croquettes,  potato,  175. 


278 


INDEX. 


Croquettes,  veal,  113. 
Crumpets,  English,  259. 
Custard,  boiled,  176. 
Custard  pie,  70. 
Custard,  royal,  for  soup,  191. 

Dresden  patties,  202. 

Egg  balls,  245. 

Eggs,  to  preserve,  in  lime,  212. 

Fish  balls,  190. 
Flounders,  filet  de  sole,  127. 
Flour  thickening,  99. 
Forcemeat  balls,  208. 
Fowl,  fried  fricasseed,  192. 
Fowl,  to  make  tender,  136. 
French  icing,  173,  177. 
Fritters,  cheese,  75. 
Fritters,  chicken,  73. 
Fritters,  Old  English,  201. 
Fritters,  peach,  74. 
Frying,  instructions  for,  35. 

Gravy,  25. 

Grisini,  or  pipe  bread,  222. 

Hash,  corned  beef,  122. 
Heart,  baked,  260. 
Heart,  lamb's,  baked,  125. 
Hollandaise  sauce,  186. 
Hominy  muffins,  190. 
Honey,  lemon,  172. 
Hotch-potch,  103. 

Iced  cream,  coffee,  167. 
Icing,  French,  173,  177. 
Irish  stew,  233. 

Jumbles,  227. 

Kidneys,  broiled,  117. 
Kidneys,  stewed,  62. 

Lamb,  breast  of,  roasted,  72. 
Lamb  chops,  33. 
Lamb,  hashed,  71. 
Lamb's  heart,  baked,  125. 
Lamb  ragout,  45. 


La,mb,  roast  shoulder,  21-23. 

Lamb,  stewed,  with  peas,  223. 

Lamb,  to  divide  the  fore-quar- 
ter, 20. 

Lemon  honey,  172. 

Lemon-peel,  candied,  166. 

Luna  beans,  48. 

Liver  and  bacon,  98. 

Liver,  baked,  103.  • 

Lobster,  to  boil  and  prepare, 
234-236. 

Macaroni,  cheese,  199. 
Macaroni,  Italian  mode,  22. 
Macaroons,  225. 
Mackerel,  soused,  264. 
Meringues,  224. 
Mayonnaise,  12. 
Mint  sauce,  25.- 

Mock  brawn  of  soup  meat,  248. 
Muffins,  com,  34. 
Muffins,  English,  259. 
Muffins,  hominy,  190. 
Mutton,  boiled  leg  of,  198. 
Mutton,  cold  fricassee  of,  89. 
Mutton  hams,  263. 

Olives,  to  stone,  11. 

Omelet,  cauliflower,  76. 

Omelet,  plain,  15. 

Omelet  souffle,  239. 

Onions,  boiled,  185. 

Oysters,  bisque  of,  102. 

Oysters  cooked  in  the  shell,  182. 

Oyster  patties,  79. 

Oysters,  roast,  182. 

Oysters,  with  brown  butter,  203. 

Pastry,  41. 

Pastry,  Genoese,  226. 

Patties,  Dresden,  202. 

Patties,  oyster,  109. 

Peach  fritters,  74. 

Pickling  meat,  262. 

Pie,  chicken,  77,  83. 

Pie,  custard,  76. 

Pie,  lemon,  46. 

Pie,  pigeon,  246. 

Pie,  veal  and  ham,  207. 


INDEX. 


279 


Pigeon  pie,  246. 

Potato  balls,  170. 

Potatoes  browned   under  meat, 

21. 
Potatoes,  fried,  162. 
Potatoes,  scalloped,  185. 
Potatoes,  stuffed,  51. 
Pot-roast,  97. 
Pudding-,  amber,  75. 
Pudding-,  apple,  97. 
Pudding,  beefsteak,  211. 
Pudding,  jam  roly-poly,  200. 
Pudding,   King  WiUiam's,  174, 

182. 
Pudding,  peach,  73. 
Pudding,  plain  bread,  149. 
Pudding,  polka,  156. 
Pudding,  trifle,  211. 
Pudding,  vanilla  souffld,  193. 

Rice  cake,  French,  242. 
Rissoles,  73. 
Rolls,  82,  100. 

Salad,  chicken,  13. 

Salting  meat,  rules  for,  261. 

Sandwiches,  chicken,  239. 

Sausages,  Worcestershire,  263. 

Sauce,  caper,  199. 

Sauce,  English   or   Wow  Wow, 

244. 
Sauce,  Hollandaise,  186. 
Sauce,  mint,  25. 
Sauce,  polka,  162. 
Simmering,  instructions  for,  47. 


Smelts,  fried,  74. 
Souffle,  bread,  71. 
Souffle,  omelet,  239. 
Souffle,  vanilla,  193. 
Soup,  bean,  173,  182. 
Soup,  bisque  of  clams,  75. 
Soup,  bisque  of  oysters,  102. 
Soup,  bouillon,  227. 
Soup,  clear,  76. 
Soup,  consomm^,  232. 
Soup,  Grerman,  198. 
Soup,  mock-turtle,  245. 
Soup,  ox-tail,  220. 
Soup,  tomato  cream,  72. 
Soup,  white,  115. 
Soup,  to  clear,  238. 
Soup-meat  hash,  81. 
Stew,  Irish,  233. 
Stewing,  instructions  for,  59. 
Suet  crust,  59,  200. 
Sweetbreads,  192. 

Thickening,  93,  94,  99,  203. 
Trifle,  211. 
Turbans  of  sole,  169. 
Turnips,  cones  of,  74. 

Veal  and  ham  pie,  207. 
Veal  cutlets,  breaded,  64. 
Veal,  knuckle  of,  109. 
Veal  stuffing,  260. 

White  thickening,  94. 
Wow  Wow,  or  English  sauce, 
244. 


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